Lassen National Forest officials have announced the detour of road 31N17 until the completion of two Bailey Creek road bridges.
The Bailey Creek Aquatic Organism Passages Project is located along 31N17, or Forest Highway 17, on the Hat Creek Ranger District.
The two bridges are crossings of the North and South Forks of Bailey Creek located in Shasta County, California, approximately 4 miles southwest of Manzanita Lake in the Lassen Volcanic National Park.
The affected segment of National Forest System Road 31N17 will close with detour signage posted and maintained. Traffic will be routed around the closed section of the road via an existing public road to the town of Viola.
The project is expected to be completed by Nov. 15th, dependent on site and weather conditions.
The project will enable the species living in the creek to freely pass upstream and downstream of the bridges, preventing the populations from becoming isolated.
Additionally, the bridges will improve the resilience of the crossings to 100-year floods.
“Stream health is a part of forest health and the Lassen National Forest is focusing on restoring the stream connectivity and protecting water quality in the Battle Creek watershed,” said Tim Pohlman, Acting Forest Supervisor.
“The upper Battle Creek Watershed is a priority for restoration because the habitat downstream is occupied by federally-listed salmon and steelhead.”
