Bridger-Teton will chopper in bridge over Yellowstone River

JACKSON, Wyo. – The Latest on plans to install a bridge over the Yellowstone River in northwestern Wyoming (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

The U.S. Forest Service has approved a plan to install a 172-foot-long steel bridge to span the Yellowstone River in a northwest Wyoming wilderness area.

The new bridge in the Teton Wilderness in the Bridger-Teton National Forest would replace another known locally as the Hawks Rest bridge, which is 57 years old.

District Ranger Todd Stiles tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/2eTHivk) that the current bridge is unsafe.

The bridge is considered a critical link along the most-used trail in the Teton Wilderness.

But critics say the new steel bridge will degrade the character of the wilderness. They proposed either replacing it with a packable bridge or having no bridge at all.

Officials hope the new bridge can be installed next year.

8:50 a.m.

The U.S. Forest Service has approved a plan to install a 172-foot-long steel bridge to span the Yellowstone River in a northwest Wyoming wilderness area.

The new bridge in the Teton Wilderness in the Bridger-Teton National Forest would replace another known locally at the Hawks Rest bridge, which is 57 years old.

District Ranger Todd Stiles tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/2eTHivk) that the current bridge is unsafe.

The bridge is considered a critical link along the most-used trail in the Teton Wilderness.

But critics say the new steel bridge will degrade the character of the wilderness. They proposed either replacing it with a packable bridge or having no bridge at all.

Officials hope the new bridge can be installed next year.

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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com