Bridge fire closes U.S. 191 in Moab

MOAB — A bridge being built across the Colorado River suffered no structural damage, according to the Utah Department of Transportation, despite a fire Wednesday that briefly closed U.S. 191 north of Moab.

The fire began about 12:30 a.m. when a heater being used to help cure newly poured concrete on the bridge fell over, said Moab Fire Battalion Chief Phillip Mosher. The heater ignited plywood scaffolding at the construction site, as well as plastic sheeting and warming blankets covering the concrete.

Construction crews inspected the new bridge and found no structural damage, said UDOT spokesman Kevin Kitchen.

Construction on the bridge — the first cast-in-place concrete segmental bridge to be built in Utah — is expected to be completed in February. Crews will then demolish the old bridge and begin construction on a second cast-in-place bridge, which is expected to be finished by year's end.

— Geoff Liesik