On March 18, 2019, construction began to replace the existing single-lane bridge that provides access over Lake River to the Auto Tour Route and the Kiwa Trail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge’s River S Unit. The new bridge will be two lanes wide and will cross over both the railroad tracks and the river.
Latest Update
“Revised Access to the Auto Tour Route” October 29, 2019
SPECIAL FEATURE: “The Wild Side of Bridge Construction” June 6, 2019
See all River S Bridge Replacement Updates
Key Dates
March 18, 2019: Project begins. Limited access to the Auto Tour Route.
Mid-October 2019 until further notice: Public access to the River ‘S’ Unit and Auto Tour Route is limited to Saturdays only. A flagger will be present to ensure safe passage across the railroad tracks.
Sunday, November 10, 2019: The Auto Tour Route will be open to the public in observance of Veterans Day (which is Monday, November 11th).
Why is this an important improvement?
This is a much-needed project to improve public safety and relieve congestion to the Refuge’s very popular Auto Tour Route. The existing one-lane bridge allows for only one vehicle at a time, which leads to confusion and traffic back-ups during peak times. A two-lane bridge will keep vehicles flowing more smoothly in both directions.
Currently, the road to the one-lane bridge from Hillhurst Road crosses heavily used railroad tracks. The new bridge will be constructed over the tracks, meaning fewer safety concerns and no getting stuck waiting for a long, slow-moving train.
Visitor Impact
Once the project is underway in March, access to the Auto Tour Route will be limited. As of mid-October 2019, the Auto Tour Route is only open to the public on Saturdays. The one exception is that it will be open on Sunday, November 10th in observance of Veterans Day.
The main reason for this restricted access is that the new bridge will be constructed next to the existing bridge and the construction crew will be performing their work from the existing bridge during the week.
Check back to Refuge2020.info and the Ridgefield NWR website for specific closure dates and other project updates.