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PROVO CANYON — Even though summer's coming to an unofficial end this weekend, the aftermath of an avalanche from last winter is still causing problems at Bridal Veil Falls.
Utah County's sheriff's office and public works department told KSL-TV that the trail and area below the waterfall is still technically closed.
Because of the number of people ignoring the closure and still visiting the area, the county constructed a temporary bridge to make the area safer. The temporary bridge stands in place of the permanent bridge that was destroyed by the avalanche.
"The bridge was a metal bridge and it ended up in the river — very heavy," said Lt. Josh Chappell with the Utah County Sheriff's Office. "So it took a lot of coordination to get the bridge out of the river."
The large avalanche let loose in January covered the river and area below Bridal Veil Falls with snow, ice and debris.
Once spring arrived, ongoing safety concerns plagued the area as people continued to bypass trail closed signs and walk on the avalanche deposit. In June, the sheriff's office eliminated one of the main safety hazards by using explosives to destroy the ice bridge over the Provo River. It was done to prevent people from falling through and also to keep thrill-seekers away.
Even in the final days of August, some debris remained and a section of the avalanche is still slowly melting at the base of the waterfall.
"Public works spent many days up here hauling a lot of debris," Chappell said. "The debris consisted of rocks, massive trees, limbs."
It won't be until next spring or summer that work will begin on permanent repairs to the bridge, according to Richard Nielson, director of Utah County Public Works.
Nielson said an improvement project is also planned for next year for several features at the park below the waterfall.
Those visiting the area said they appreciate the clean-up efforts and the temporary bridge to make the area safer.
"Most of the debris is gone now," said Provo resident Tim Ercanbrack. "But there was a lot. It was all the way up to the road. It was a lot of stuff that came down with it."
The Utah County's sheriff's office is urging visitors to use extreme caution if they do visit the Bridal Veil Falls area.
