Photo supplied, Weber County Sheriff's Office

High waters along the Ogden River have caused enough damage to state Route 39 through Ogden Canyon to force its closure Thursday morning.

According to Utah Department of Transportation spokesman Mitch Shaw, the road is closed indefinitely to all drivers except for canyon residents due to a trouble spot at milepost 9.

“The massive water that’s coming through the canyon and Ogden River right now has created a void underneath the road surface, so there’s a gap between the road and the land beneath,” he said. “We’re really in assess mode right now.”

As of late Thursday morning, Shaw said there isn’t a timeline for when the road will open back up to traffic or when a fix will be able to be completed.

“We’ll probably have to do some sort of temporary fix — basically go under (the road) and shove rocks under there just to make sure the roadway surface is stable,” he said. “For a permanent fix, there’s just too much water coming down right now.”

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

Shaw said late Thursday afternoon that officials were still unsure of how long the road closure would last but that it remained open to local traffic.

He added that there aren’t any specified trouble areas elsewhere on SR 39, but ultimately, there is an overall risk in the canyon.

“In the abstract, the entire canyon is a concern,” he said. “The water (is) coming down through the Ogden River at such a tremendous volume that we’re going to have to be paying extra close attention. … (There’s) no specific areas where we’re worried we’ll have to get in there and do any immediate repairs.”

Shaw said alternate routes of travel include the North Ogden Divide and Trapper’s Loop Road/SR 167.

Newsletter