By Dennis McNabb
The Mountain Times
Residents and visitors of the Zigzag area take note: the Still Creek Bridge, which has been closed since 2012 due to safety concerns, is currently under reconstruction, and set to reopen by fall of 2025! For some, this news will not bear significant relevance. To be fair, this small bridge does not reside in a densely-populated area. It does not see an extensive amount of traffic, and there are alternative routes which can be used. That said, for purposes of egress, particularly in emergency situations, it provides a key access point to nearby Highway 26. Re-opening this modest but advantageously-situated outlet will be a great relief to local residents and businesses alike.
Built in 1960, the Still Creek Bridge is a Transverse Glu-lam Girder bridge (Glu-lam referred to the Glued Laminate girders). Although timber was once the most common material used in the construction of bridges, it was gradually replaced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with iron, steel, and concrete. Wood does offer a unique and attractive aesthetic, however (as well as some other distinct advantages), and still accounts for roughly 7% of the bridges in the country.
Still Creek Bridge is not entirely made of wood. Its substructure actually consists of reinforced concrete wall abutments which offer greater durability and strength, as well as lower maintenance requirements. While under consideration for repairs, this was one of the reasons why this bridge was chosen over the Flag Mountain Bridge (a second bridge in the area that has also been closed for roughly the same amount of time). Many factors were taken into consideration, and in fact, an extensive analysis of both bridges was conducted prior to any decisions being made.
I had the pleasure of speaking with local District Ranger Greg Wanner regarding the planned renovation, and he was very mindful of the associated cost/benefit analyses of the project. A whole team of experts spent untold hours evaluating every aspect of it. From identifying the main issues therein (including how each structure limited fish passage, how they affected hydrologic processes, and how they limited fire egress), to assessing the inherent benefits, problems, and risks of making the repairs, and finally to making an educated recommendation for moving forward. Upon completion of the analysis, the team concluded that opening at least one of these bridges was to be considered a top priority. The next step was locating the funds necessary to begin the project.
Greg Wanner stated that they’ve been aware of the issue, and have been working diligently to discover intelligent solutions since the bridges were first closed over ten years ago. Because they were in low traffic areas however, they were not initially considered as high-priority. That all changed during the 2020 wildfires. There were other prior events, the fires in 2017, as well as several wind events in 2015 and 2020 which caused significant blowdown. As these various emergency situations arose, it became more and more clear that these roads needed to be open for safety purposes and the Still Creek Bridge, which allows drivers to take Vine Maple Road (Road #20) over Still Creek, was considered the more advantageous of the two.
This past winter, money was freed up for the project and, as of March of 2024, confirmed. Engineers were contacted, plans drawn, and progress was begun. In-water work is expected to be completed by Fall of 2025, and the remainder should be completed by the same time the following year. Of special note, the plans have accounted for future-proofing of the project and the structure will not only be built to address current issues of limited fish passage, but will also accommodate heavy flooding and offer accelerated climate resilience.