Monday, June 09, 2014

Lake Scenic Trails Closing For Repairs

CLEWISTON, FL. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced plans to close a section of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) near Okeechobee as rehabilitation continues on the Herbert Hoover Dike, the earthen structure surrounding the lake.

The Corps will close about 3 miles of the trail between Taylor Creek and Nubbin Slough. The closures are necessary for public safety while work on the replacement of a nearby water control structure (Culvert 8) takes place. The trail is expected to be closed in this location from June 16until early this fall.

In addition to the new closure, the trail remains closed between Lakeport and Liberty Point on the west side of the lake, between Clewiston and South Bay on the south side, between Belle Glade Pahokee on the southeast side, and between Canal Point and Port Mayaca on the east side.

“The rehabilitation of Herbert Hoover Dike is important to the safety of people living and working in south Florida,” said Steve Dunham, Chief of the Corps’ South Florida Operations Office (SFOO) in Clewiston. “The safety of people walking the trail is important to us as well and we want to keep them out of harm’s way, given the amount of equipment that will be in the area.”

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

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