High Water Prompts Emergency Closure of Blankenship Bridge
Seasonal runoff have raised water levels on the Flathead River, which has submerged the access road to the Blankenship Bridge gravel bar southwest of Blankenship Road
By Beacon Staff
The Flathead National Forest on Monday issued an emergency closure order for the Blankenship Bridge area due to high water on the Flathead River northwest of Columbia Falls.
Seasonal runoff has created increased water levels on the Flathead River, which has submerged the access road to the Blankenship Bridge gravel bar southwest of Blankenship Road, according to Flathead National Forest officials. A forecast of rain also factored into the emergency order, officials said.
The area is closed to all camping and motorized vehicle use while the emergency closure is in place.
The closure order is effective immediately and remains in place through June 27 at 6 p.m., unless rescinded, according to the order.
“The short-term closure order has been put in place for public safety and will be lifted when water levels recede,” according to a news release announcing the closure.
In April, the Flathead National Forest and Flathead County installed a gate on the county’s right-of-way “to facilitate public safety closures during times of high water,” according to officials.
The northwest county park area near the bridge was also closed during the recent Blankenship Erosion Prevention Project, a multi-agency initiative aimed at protecting public infrastructure and “enhancing environmental stability along the Flathead River,” according to a news release from Flathead County. The area will remain closed until further notice while the grass in the area is reestablished.
That project cost $750,000 and was funded primarily by Flathead County, with in-kind contributions from the Flathead National Forest. The project addresses ongoing erosion in the northwest quadrant of the bridge — a threat that, if left unmitigated, could have compromised the approach to the bridge and Blankenship Road.
“The project was a great example of interagency coordination,” according to a statement from Rob Davies, the Flathead National Forest’s district ranger for the Hungry Horse-Glacier View District.
To review the closure order and map identifying the closure, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/flathead/alerts.
For more information about the impacted area, contact the Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District office at (406) 387-3800.