Friday, September 07, 2012

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail Closed

Clewiston - South Bay Area Lake Trail Closed

CLEWISTON, FL. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close additional sections of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail while maintenance and rehabilitation work continues on the Herbert Hoover Dike.

Effective Monday, September 10, the Corps will close the section of trail between Clewiston and South Bay to facilitate delivery of stone used for shoring up the dike in emergency situations. This closure will only be in effect during the workweek (Mon.-Fri); the trail will be open on weekends and holidays at this location.

In addition to this new closure, the trail remains closed between section between Lakeport and Moore Haven fo r trail improvements, between Moore Haven and Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp/Liberty Point to accommodate replacement of Culverts 1 and 1A, and between Belle Glade and Port Mayaca for replacement of Culverts 11 and 16, as well as cutoff wall construction in the dike itself.

Contractors are using heavy construction vehicles and large equipment within all of these areas. Truck traffic on the roads is a constant flow, and any additional traffic on the narrow trail or dike crest poses a safety hazard for recreationists and equipment operators.

"We recognize the inconvenience caused by these additional closures," said Robert Schnell, assistant chief of the Corps’ South Florida Operations Office (SFOO) in Clewiston, "however, safety for our workers and the general public is something we take very seriously. We want to keep people out of harm’s way."

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