Contributed Photo: The Tonto Creek Bridge is scheduled to open in the spring of 2024.
A-Cross Road to be permanently closed
Contributed Article
GILA COUNTY – Gila County is pleased to announce its planned opening of the Tonto Creek Bridge in the Spring of 2024. This multimodal transportation project includes the construction of the bridge over Tonto Creek with pedestrian and bicyclist facilities. Additional improvements include improving deficient roadway geometry.
The opening of the bridge is a milestone for the project. Residents will no longer be cut off from food, medical supplies, emergency services, work, and school. The bridge opening will enrich the quality of life for residents of Tonto Basin. Enhanced recreational opportunities on public Forest Service lands will benefit everyone.
Beginning around Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, the existing A-Cross Road (FR 60) will be permanently closed and restored to its original condition.
Originally, the U.S. Forest Service was going to close the Bar-X Crossing and leave the A-Cross open, explains Gila County District 2 Supervisor Tim Humphrey.
“When the rise of Roosevelt Lake closed the A-Cross, it was decided that Gila County and the Forest Service would fix the washed-out Bar-X Crossing and close the A-Cross,” he says. “In the future, the Bar-X Crossing will have a metal gate to close the crossing in unsafe flooding.”
The contractor will scarify the abandoned access road and seed the area with native seeding. A variety of seed mixes will be used from seed suppliers through harvesting of wildland collections or field-grown seeds.
Berms and boulders will be placed at each end of A-Cross as it crosses Tonto Creek. Erosion and sediment control measures will supplement the seeding. These erosion and pollution control principles will serve as the foundation for the successful restoration of A-Cross Road to its natural conditions. Riparian habitat will be reestablished with the removal of this at-grade crossing.
The number one goal of this project has always been safety. The opening of the bridge and permanent closure of A-Cross Road is a major step towards that goal.
- A safe route to school for the students and teachers of Tonto Basin Elementary School
- Emergency access for firefighters, police, and all first responders
“It has been good to work with Homero Vela, Gila County Public Works Director, and District Ranger Jeremy Plain, with the Forest Service, to be able to work things out,” Humphrey says.
Please consider this permanent closure of A-Cross Road in your travel plans beginning around Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
