Bridge leading to Continental Reservoir closed to vehicle traffic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW Gregg Goodland
Public Affairs Officer
Rio Grande National Forest
719-588-7045 / [email protected]

CREEDE, Colo. – The Divide Ranger District of the Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF), in cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), announced Thursday that the road and bridge over North Clear Creek on Forest Service Road (FSR) 513.1A will be closed until further notice.

This road is the access to Continental Reservoir near Creede. The closure is needed to ensure public safety because of deteriorating bridge support structures.

A barrier system will be in place before the bridge that will be wide enough only for ATVs, side by sides, motorcycles, bicycles and foot traffic. No trailers or boats will be able to get through.

During a routine inspection last summer, a critical finding of safety concern was noted on the bridge abutments, prompting Divide Ranger District officials to restrict the weight limit of the bridge. Last week, it was determined that further deterioration in the support structures has occurred and confidence in the bridge’s ability to support the weight of full-sized vehicles has diminished.

“Closing the bridge to vehicular traffic is the last action we wanted to take,” said Andy Kelher, Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Rio Grande National Forest. “However, we would be remiss in our commitment to our visitors if we did not consider the public’s safety as our first priority. We recognize the popularity of the reservoir and understand that this will be a significant inconvenience for many forest users.”

CPW District Wildlife Manager Brent Woodward said Continental Reservoir will not be stocked with fish again until after bridge repair work is completed.

Alternatives for fishing in the Upper Rio Grande Valley include Brown Lakes State Wildlife Area to the south off FSR 515 as well as Regan Lake, Road Canyon and Rio Grande Reservoirs further south off FSR 520. Another option is Lake San Cristobal further northwest in Lake City.

“We know visitors wanting to fish there will be disappointed, but we have a good number of other reservoirs that are boatable and fishable in the surrounding areas,” said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Rick Basagoitia.

Engineers on the RGNF began the process to secure a contract to repair the bridge earlier this year. Officials are now pushing to make this a priority. Unfortunately, it is too early to estimate when the contract will be awarded, and the repair work will be conducted.

To view the full text of the closure order, go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/riogrande/alerts-notices

For information on the Rio Grande National Forest, call 719-850-2374, visit the forest website, or follow them on their Facebook page or Twitter.