Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Widely scattered showers or a thunderstorm this evening. Then partly cloudy. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
The John Dunn Bridge is undergoing renovations that are expected to last through November.
Taos County has put up a total of $730,000 for the bridge reconstructions, and has received an 85 percent grant match from the Federal Lands Access Program.
A sign marks the closure of the switchbacks on the west side of the John Dunn Bridge.
View overlooking the John Dunn Bridge and Rio Grande from the currently-closed switchback road.
Hikers walk up the switchback road across from the John Dunn Bridge last April.
Justin Bright and David Roop finish their day with a hike to Black Rock Hot Springs for a much deserved soak on Wednesday (April 13) near Arroyo Hondo.
The John Dunn Bridge is undergoing renovations that are expected to last through November.
Taos County has put up a total of $730,000 for the bridge reconstructions, and has received an 85 percent grant match from the Federal Lands Access Program.
A sign marks the closure of the switchbacks on the west side of the John Dunn Bridge.
View overlooking the John Dunn Bridge and Rio Grande from the currently-closed switchback road.
Hikers walk up the switchback road across from the John Dunn Bridge last April.
Justin Bright and David Roop finish their day with a hike to Black Rock Hot Springs for a much deserved soak on Wednesday (April 13) near Arroyo Hondo.
A project to reconstruct the John Dunn and Rio Hondo bridges off of County Road B-007 is off to a tumultuous start after county officials and construction crews say the area was heavily vandalized and several pieces of construction equipment were stolen from the worksite this month.
Deputy Town Manager Jason Silva reported that a skid steer — a construction vehicle often used for moving dirt — along with an attached auger and an additional trailer were stolen from the site. Silva said that construction signs have been repeatedly thrown into the river or graffitied.
Silva hopes visitors and residents understand that the reconstruction of the bridges “is a temporary fix that could end up supporting them for the next 50 or 100 years.” The focus of the projects is to provide a “rehabilitation” to the John Dunn Bridge, and a more complete reconstruction of the Rio Hondo Bridge. “The John Dunn Bridge is kind of just getting a facelift,” said Silva. “The Rio Hondo bridge, that's the one that is going to be [demolished]. It's old style… We're blessed to have it available so long to us, but it's identified as one of the worst bridges in the state.”
He also explained that while people may be upset that the project is occurring during late-summer access months, it is doing so for a good reason: to protect two species of birds that live in the area.
The recent theft and vandalism has slowed the project, which Silva still hopes will be done by late November. “If any issues continue, like if they damage a piece of equipment that's causing the inability to conduct this project, Taos County is probably going to be on the hook for it due to the fact that we're not meeting that timeline,” he explained.
Should any other vandalism or larceny be committed, Silva said there may be legal consequences. “I don't want to make an example of anyone and I don't want to prosecute anybody, but it's not my job to do it anyway. It's gonna fall into the [Bureau of Land Management] law enforcement; it's gonna fall into our Sheriff's Department,” he said. The project manager for the site is also taking down license plate numbers of those thought to be vandalizing the site, noted Silva. “For the most part, people are just curious and kind of go down to check it out, but there's a couple that kind of get real confrontational.”
Taos County has put up a total of $730,000 for the bridge reconstructions, and has received an 85.44 percent grant match from the Federal Lands Access Program. The projects total just over $5 million, Silva said, noting the project, when initially proposed, was to cost $3.5 million. “The additional increase is due to the facts of supply chain issues, fuel costs, steel costs — just anything that was attributed to delay and lack of production during the pandemic,” he said.
The environmental support of the willow flycatcher and the yellow-billed cuckoo were also a factor in deciding the project timeline, he said: “This was supposed to start July 1, and we moved it back a month because there was still one of those two species in the work zone."
He noted that the window of opportunity is fairly short, considering the upcoming seasonal changes, and said any other vandalism setbacks could throw off the project completely. “If, by chance, this does run into issues — say winter hits early — that kind of messes with [construction] ability, because a lot of the components of this bridge are going to be some concrete work,” he said.
While he pointed out there are admixtures that can help concrete set in cold weather, “there is an added cost” that Silva said may only set them back further. “At the end of the day, you know, this is the only window of opportunity to pull this bridge off,” he said.
Silva said they are looking at a short-term inconvenience to solve a long-term problem. “We’re hoping to provide some longevity to these two components,” he said. “We shouldn't have to run into any more closures unless we have some rockslides or other identifying issues that might come down the pipeline.”
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It is a shame we have these thieves. I hope they are caught and prosecuted. There is too much leniency over property crimes in this area. That leads to more stealing without consequences. That equipment could not have been hauled through Arroyo Hondo without someone seeing it. Step forward. Call Crime Stoppers.
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