Little Joe Road closure extended
The closure order for Little Joe Road, Forest Road 282, has been extended to October 1 while contractors replace the culvert at mile post 7.4 with a precast concrete bridge.
Work began in April to resurface the road, improve drainage, and upgrade two stream crossings. The initial work was completed with minor impacts to traffic. A closure order began July 8 closing Little Joe Road, Forest Road 282, from its junction with South Fork Little Joe Road, Forest Road 221, to its junction with Two Mile Road, Forest Road 431. A new closure order, 24-007-Lolo-D7, has been issued extending the road closure until October 1 unless construction is completed sooner.
“We understand that this extension is an inconvenience to many forest visitors and locals,” said Abby Lane, District Ranger for the Superior Ranger District. “The majority of the work on this project has been completed which will have many long-term benefits. Everyone is reminded to respect the closure order and adhere to barriers in place to protect the contractors who are working and visitors.”
Work on phase one included ditch reconstruction, ditch relief culvert replacement, brushing, subgrade preparation, and the placement of a new gravel surface.
The second phase included the upgrade of two stream crossing structures. The replacement of the existing culvert at mile post 10 with a new bottomless arch structure was completed earlier this month. Contractors are working on the second stream crossing. Both new crossing structures are designed to accommodate flows from a 100-year flood event and provide passage for all aquatic organisms.
This $2.5 million project, funded in part ($1.4 million) by the Legacy Restoration Fund established by the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act, will address the condition of the road by resurfacing it with new gravel and improving drainage features.
The Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund provided through the Great American Outdoors Act responds to the growing backlog of deferred maintenance, which is currently $7.66 billion, comprised of $4.7 billion for roads and bridges, $540 million for trails and trail bridges, and $2.4 billion for buildings, visitor centers, campgrounds, and other types of facilities.
This project improves access to the St. Joe Scenic Highway and St. Joe National Recreation Area, benefits the local communities that relies on tourism travel through the Little Joe and supports the hauling of timber products. Little Joe Road is within a priority watershed for bull trout and these improvements reduce sediment delivery to the North Fork Little Joe Creek improving habitat conditions for aquatic species.