Deep Creek Bridge

Congratulations to all at Buhl Highway District for completing the Deep Creek Bridge!

Last year’s snowmageddon, followed by rapid snow melt, wreaked havoc on infrastructure across the state. On February 9, 2017, River Road, northeast of Buhl, was swept away by the runoff. The capacity of the 1979 cement box culvert was unable to handle such high volume of water flow. This caused the backed up runoff to break through the culvert and wash away the surrounding land and road.

Planning for the future, Buhl Highway District chose to build a bridge to ease the water flow down Deep Creek while preserving the longevity of River Road. Without the bridge, residents had to travel an additional 20-30 minutes to and from town. Therefore, Buhl Highway District contacted key stakeholders to expedite the process.

After the permits were approved, the highway district wasted no time beginning the project in November 2017. Highway Director, John Zamora, explained that the “Excavation and demo work was huge, it was over half the project.” Which was in addition to diverting the water, stabilizing the bank, installing rip rap, and finally the full construction of the bridge. With all that, Buhl Highway District completed the project in less than 6 months. “Thank God for a mild winter” Zamora stated while describing how the highway district was able to complete the project in such a timely manner.

Yesterday morning the Buhl Highway District paved the bridge and after having a celebratory lunch, it was time for the ribbon cutting ceremony! By 3 pm the asphalt had cooled down enough for the bridge to be open for traffic.

Great job folks, keep up the hard work!