Contributed Article/Courtesy BLM
SAFFORD – The Bureau of Land Management’s Safford Field Office is planning work funded through the Great American Outdoors Act to repair and upgrade recreation facilities and roads in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area near Safford. Work will begin on Jan. 2, 2025, and will take approximately six months to complete.
Ahead of work periods, signs will be posted, and the public will be informed through BLM Arizona social media channels and radio public service announcements. The work will include a short duration closure for five days or less of Bonita Creek Road to install a necessary culvert and periodic partial restricted access to campground and day-use areas. None of the work will impact access to the entire conservation area at any given time.
The BLM received close to $14.4M in Great American Outdoor Act funding in FY22 to complete recreation improvement projects in the conservation area along Haekel Road and the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area. Future announcements will be issued when work is set to begin at the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area. These projects replace aging recreation facilities and improve road systems, enhancing the recreation experience at each location.
