County Orders Mesilla Dam Bridge Closed, ‘Imminent Danger’ Of Failure

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – Dona Ana County officials have shut down a wooden bridge on a road south of Las Cruces because of high water.

County spokesman Jess Williams says an engineer is very concerned about the bridge on County Road C-06. The bridge spans a tributary of the Rio Grande just west of Mesilla Dam.

The county says the bridge appears to be in imminent danger of failure because of the high water.

Williams says the river has been running at capacity for three weeks because of heavy rain in southern New Mexico. And he says the tributary has been running very full.

Williams says the water normally flows about two feet below the bridge. He says county officials hope the bridge can be repaired or can be reopened once the water goes down.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-08-31-06 1349EDT