Water Flows by Belfry and Edgar; Elsewhere Emergency Repairs are Necessary to Save Roads and Bridge
Sharp eyes and quick responses save critical infrastructure
By Denise Rivette
Yesterday, the Clarks Fork from Belfry through Edgar entered the night under a flood advisory. This morning, as most in the southcentral portion of the county were heaving a sigh of relief that the runoff from last weekend’s mountain precipitation was moving through without incident, and that a fire in the Bridger district had been extinguished quickly, Carbon County Commissioner Bill Bullock was dealing with a critical incident on East Rosebud where Tuttle Lane was damaged and the Tuttle Bridge was threatened by the hard Spring runoff.
Bullock received a call from a resident near Tuttle Lane early this morning letting him know that the road was compromised. Before repairs could begin, half the road was washed away and being undercut. The bridge was also in danger as the water flow relentlessly attempted to breach the abutment. Carbon County’s Red Lodge District Road Crew with some vital help from local contractor Jody Klessens were able to handle the situation efficiently.
“The East Rosebud’s rolling pretty good and, with the volume that was there, it was pressuring the west side of the Tuttle Lane Bridge north of Roscoe,” Bullock explained. “The water was undermining the wing wall, and it was in jeopardy of cutting off the road. And Tuttle Lane is only one lane in and out right now because of the bridge that was washed away in the 2022 flood. So it was pretty imperative we get up there and maintain that access. So yeah, that's pretty much it. Some quick work with some angular rock, an excavator and a few trucks, and she's back in business. But at the end of the day, you know, it's spring runoff, and that's what happens. We deal with it.”
Over In Joliet
Later in the morning, Scott Blain would receive a troubling call from his Joliet District Road Crew. As Blain and the Joliet Road Crew predicted, the fabric “fix” that was required by State and Federal governments in lieu of the riprap solution the County preferred was failing fast as the flood-reconfigured Rock Creek directed its flow directly at Granite Road.
They quickly consulted with Interstate Engineering, came up with a plan of action, and started hauling rock and working to save the road, putting in riprap as an emergency solution.
Commissioner Blain said of the operation, “The fix was challenging with regulations in place because of the slope of the bank along the road. Opening the old channel back up would’ve taken the right-angle pressure off the road. It took about 80 ton of rock quickly placed to stop the immediate damage. Thanks to Randy Pfefle, a local contractor working just up the road, and his excavator together with Road Crews from Bridger and one from Red Lodge, the Joliet Road Crew were able to get on it pretty quickly. When the water goes down, it will have to be evaluated again for further solutions…hopefully better ones.”