Closed bridge in Bankhead leading to new concerns

BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST - Safety concerns for both hikers and motorists in the Sipsey Wilderness area due to an old wooden pedestrian bridge being closed after severe storm damage has been brought to the attention of both the Winston County Commission and the U.S. Forest Service.
Bad storms caused a large tree to fall onto the older bridge at the Sipsey Recreational Area at an earlier time.  The bridge, which connected the upper and lower parking lots of the recreated area, was damaged to an extend beyond needing simple repairs, according to the Forest Service.
Although the tree has been removed, extreme damage on the collapsed portion of the bridge has created a safety concern.  Closed signs have been posted by the Forest Service.  The bridge has been deemed unsafe for visitors, the Forest Service stated.
Randy Campbell, who rides horses and spends time with family and friends in the Bankhead Forest believes the bridge has become a major hazard for hikers, as well as motorists in the forest, he stated.
“It got caved in by trees and never fixed,” Campbell pointed out. “To access the trail system on the other side of this bridge, people are going up on  the main highway (Cranal Road), where there are two down hills coming to this bridge.” 
Since hikers are not allowed to cross the older bridge to the trail system on the opposite side, they are rossing Cranal Road or walking down the side of Cranal Road to reach the trail system, Campbell emphasized.  Visibility is limited for motorists coming around a curve on Cranal Road to cross the bridge on Cranal Road near the recreation area, Campbell indicated.
“If two log trucks meet on that bridge, what is going to happen to those people hiking, walking?” Campbell asked.
“If someone is up on that (Cranal Road) bridge and gets hit, that’s not only the people who hit them, but it is also the forest service’s fault,” Campbell further emphasized. “It happened because of no maintenance on forest property.
“We have 181,000 acres here.  If we can’t use it, then our forest service system is badly deficient,” Campbell emphasized.
Campbell then addressed the hiking trails that cannot be adequately reached due to the closed wooden bridge.
The parking area at the Sipsey picnic area is filled with vehicles most every weekend, according to Campbell. 
“They want to use this area.  It’s just an endangerment to all of the people,” he said.
“If the forest service (permanently) closes it, they have really done a disservice,” Campbell pointed out. 
“Keep all the picnic areas, camping areas and parking areas open for public use,” Campbell added.
“I think this needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.  It’s not that big a job to put a pedestrian walkway through here,” Campbell continued. 
Campbell has reached out to Roger Hayes, former Winston County Commission chairman, who is the current district 2 commissioner, about the bridge being closed.  However, the situation cannot be handled by the commission, Hayes informed.
“He asked me if there would be any funding available,” Hayes said. “I said that was national forest. There is no funding available, as far as the county’s side. 
“The federal are their own thing there,” Hayes added. “If they closed it, it is closed and that is just the way it is. You don’t override federal. 
“(Campbell) wanted us to get our road engineer to go look at (the closed bridge) to see if it’s safe,” Hayes pointed out. “We can’t do that. That is federal land.”
Andy Scott, district ranger for the William B. Bankhead National Forest, explained that the forest service inspected the damaged bridge within days of the damage and submitted a request for funding to the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program of the Federal Highway Administration.
This funding request was granted recently and forest service officials met recently to begin developing a project management plan, including engineering design and environmental analysis, Scott also said.
“The current estimated timeline would include design and public scoping in 2025, followed by environmental analysis in 2026 and construction in 2027,” Scott stated.
Until this is accomplished, forest service officials are warning hikers about using the trail which is currently blocked by the damaged bridge.
“Unfortunately, no safe access exists to reach the lower parking lot at this time, to access the Sipsey River trail, picnic tables, or to two popular waterfalls,” Scott emphasized.
“Walking across the Cranal Road bridge is dangerous and not recommended,” Scott further pointed out.
The waterfalls can be accessed, Scott continued, from Cranal Road further west of the bridge, but very limited parking is available beside the road.
“If busy, we recommend visiting Kinlock Falls on Forest Service (Road) 210 nearby,” Scott noted.
However, those visiting Kinlock Falls should keep in mind that certain areas there may also prove treacherous.
“Canoes and kayaks can be launched from the upper parking lot, although the bank is very steep and caution should be taken to not slip or damage the river bank,” said Scott.
The Sipsey Recreation area was constructed in 1937, according to information provided by the forest service.
The Sipsey River Trail, which is a two-mile trail downstream of the bridge, leads past picnic tables and the remains of a Civilian Conservation Corps-built group shelter, which was destroyed by a storm in 2020, Scott explained.
However, the trail remains open providing views of bluffs and the Sipsey River, Scott added.
Two bridges cross the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River at this location.  The first  was built in 1934 as part of Cranal Road and was used by vehicles until the present Cranal Road bridge was built in 1961.
The older wooden bridge continued to be used as a pedestrian bridge connecting the upper Sipsey Recreation Area parking lot serving trails 200 and 209, and the lower parking lot accessing picnic tables and as a canoe launch for a more scenic portion of the 64-mile Sipsey Fork Wild and Scenic River, forest officials explained.
This older wooden bridge is only maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, forestry officials explained.
The bridge maintained by the Winston County Commission is the newer bridge built in 1961 to support higher levels of vehicular traffic, which crosses over Sipsey picnic area on Cranal Road.