State Route 366 has reopened on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona after a six-week closure due to the danger of flooding and debris flows after the Frye Fire, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The road, also known as Swift Trail, connects with US 191 about 20 miles south of Safford. It had been closed at Ladybug Saddle near milepost 131, but as of Thursday, Sept. 14, it’s open again to Columbine at milepost 143.
Location: Safford Ranger District, Coronado National Forest
Location: Safford Ranger District, Coronado National Forest
The Frye Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) work on Mt. Graham is continuing with progress in many areas. Over the last week a crew from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management camped at Riggs Flat Campground and completed a seven-day work project. Their work included clearing road culverts along most of the burned area road system, clearing floatable debris from stream channels near critical road crossings, and removal of hazard trees.
For Immediate Release. The Coronado National Forest and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) are working together to ensure the survival of the current highway bridge at Wet Canyon on SR-366 (Swift Trail). This highway is the only road access to the high country in the Pinaleno Mountains (Mt. Graham and other high-country areas). An active monsoon season has resulted in extreme flooding events from areas burned during the recent Frye Fire.
This past weekend road crews from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Coronado National Forest worked together to remove debris from the Wet Canyon Recreation Site on the Swift Trail (State Highway 366). This past week several heavy storms moved a significant amount of woody debris and rock down Wet Canyon, effectively blocking flow under a historic CCC bridge and threatening the structure of the main road bridge. By Sunday evening enough debris had been removed to return the water flow to the original channel under the old bridge.
Over the past week a Forestry crew from the State of Arizona has been working on Mt. Graham helping the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team clear historic road culverts along Forest Service Roads. This work directly responds to a role of BAER to protect historical structures after a damaging wildfire.
Due to widespread precipitation across the area, additional rain in the weather forecast, and a rise in fuel moistures, it has been determined that the likelihood of wildfire has lessened to the degree that the restrictions can be rescinded.
Location: Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest
Websites
Frye Fire Inciweb:https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5221/
Coronado National Forest Facebook:http://facebook.com/CoronadoNF
Start Date: June 7, 2017
Websites:
Frye Fire Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5221/
Coronado National Forest Facebook: http://facebook.com/CoronadoNF
Start Date: June 7, 2017
Size: approximately 48,443 acres
Fire Information: (928) 362-2791 - 8 am – 8 pm
Websites: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5221/
Location: Safford Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest; 7 miles southwest of Safford, AZ.
Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 will transition with Coronado National Forest Type 3 management organization on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7 PM.
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