PROVO — A mile-long section of the popular Bonneville Shoreline Trail will be closed in Provo for approximately a month while crews clean up after a recent wildfire and its burn scar.
The closure is set to begin on Wednesday, as crews clean up damage within the Buckley Draw Fire burn scar. Crews will use heavy equipment to remove sediment and debris that have accumulated in the area since the fire began this summer.
"This work is necessary to restore the channel's capacity and reduce the risk of future flooding or debris impacts," Provo officials said in a statement Tuesday. "For public safety, the trail will remain closed for the duration of this cleanup effort."
The Buckley Draw Fire burned 452 acres after breaking out in the foothills east of Provo on Aug. 17, but its biggest impact on the community came after heavy rains over the burn scar triggered a massive mudslide 10 days later. The debris flow damaged neighboring homes and a church, sparking a multiple-day cleanup to remove more than 23,000 tons of material that ended up in the area.
State officials have yet to determine what caused the fire, which was one of nearly 1,100 different fire starts in Utah so far this year. Those fires have burned a little more than 164,500 acres of land across the state.
Bonneville Shoreline Trail users are urged to respect all closure signs and barriers until the project ends, which is expected to happen sometime in November. City officials add that they will provide updates when the trail has reopened.
