SR-143 through Parowan Canyon is again closed to travel due to damage caused by flooding. It’s the same stretch of road closed by the Brian Head fire earlier this summer.
Damage caused by overnight flooding early Monday morning has wiped out one lane of the two-lane highway, but the flooding is only indirectly related to the burn scar says Kevin Kitchen of the Utah Department of Transportation.
“Yeah, the event we saw up in the canyon had different drainages and, you know, some of it probably came from the scar, but a lot of it was just heavy clouds from what we’re seeing.”
Unlike the previous closure, UDOT crews should have vehicles moving through the canyon again within 24 hours.
“When we do open it up we’ll probably be looking at single-lane traffic through that immediate vicinity, but it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker as far as traffic is concerned.”
Brian Head and Cedar Breaks National Monument are still accessible via SR-14 through Cedar Canyon.
Northbound I-15 near Parowan was also closed for a time early Monday morning because of water, mud and debris in the roadway. The freeway is now open.