U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Billings Field Office
Billings Field Office
| Contacts: | Mary Apple 406-896-5258 |
BLM Constructing Bridge on Crooked Creek Road
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Billings Field Office is constructing a bridge where Crooked Creek Road crosses Gypsum Creek. The location is south of the Pryor Mountains near the Wyoming border in southeastern Carbon County, Montana. The bridge will provide a safe, cost-effective, and relatively maintenance-free crossing.
Crooked Creek road is a popular public access route to both BLM lands in the Pryor Mountains and Forest Service lands in the Custer National Forest. The bridge is needed because the existing road crossing washes out regularly and poses a safety threat to the recreating public and permitted users.
People travelling in the area should plan to use Helt Road until construction is complete. The bridge should be completed in early April.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Billings Field Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101