Bridge Work To Connect Cut-Off Montezuma Nears Completion
MONTEZUMA, Colo. (CBS4) - After the Snake River chewed through a half-mile of the only road leading in and out of this small mountain community, crews made progress Friday reconnecting Montezuma to the rest of Summit County.
On Tuesday, rising flood waters pushed higher by a debris-clogged culvert destroyed portions of the road and stranded residents in the 65-person town near Keystone.
Since then, county officials began building a makeshift bridge on an old logging road to allow vehicle traffic back into the community.
On Friday, the first segments of a temporary bridge were brought into place, which should facilitate emergency access to Montezuma. Crews hauled in road base and structural material to raise portions of the road by 36 inches.
But mud and water have presented major interference.
"It's not going to be functional tonight," an official told CBS4. "It's just not possible, with all the obstacles and hurdles they've overcome, it's just delay after delay after delay."
Three times a day, residents are shuttled from the road closure into town. Earlier this week, crews installed an old dock piece to allow foot traffic in and out of town.
It'll be weeks or months, officials say, before a permanent solution is in place and life returns to normal.
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