Windy Cut Bridge Near Highway 32 Closed for Repairs

Lassen National Forest officials announced that the Windy Cut Bridge is closed until further notice. Most easily accessed from Highway 32 just west of the Deer Creek Trailhead, the bridge crosses Deer Creek on National Forest System Road 27N08, which connects to Ponderosa Way (NFS road 28N29). Visitors to the Forest use the bridge to access the Black Rock Campground near Mill Creek and to hunt, fish, and cut wood.

The bridge remains open for foot traffic. Hikers on the Deer Creek Trail, which intersects National Forest System Road 27N08, can continue across Deer Creek on the bridge.

Located on the Forest’s Almanor Ranger District, the 59-foot-long bridge is composed of two steel girders with a timber deck and rail. Earlier this month, a field inspection revealed that the concrete seat on the downstream side of the bridge had deteriorated to the extent that the girder is not safely supported.

“We have placed barriers on both ends of the bridge and installed bridge closure signs at prominent road intersections,” said Lassen National Forest Engineer Heather Blevins, who is coordinating the closure. “We want to take every precaution to ensure public safety.”

The bridge will remain closed to all vehicular traffic until repaired. Although a reopening date has not yet been set, Forest Service staff expect to establish a timeline within a month.

For more information, contact Heather Blevins at (530) 252-6622.