Avalanche piles snow, debris beneath Bridal Veil falls, creating 'dangerous conditions'
PROVO, Utah (KUTV) — An avalanche in Provo Canyon on Tuesday dumped into the Provo River at Bridal Veil Falls, leaving an enormous pile of snow and debris in the Provo River.
Live video from UDOT's traffic camera in the area showed just how massive the pile was as people could be seen walking along the river's border.
Provo Canyon had been closed for several hours throughout the morning for avalanche mitigation, and US 189 was reopened at approximately 11 a.m.
Though the roadway open and not obstructed, authorities shared concerns about drivers slowing down or stopping to get a better view of the incident.
The Utah Highway Patrol issued a statement telling "motorist(s) not to stop on the shoulder of the roadway at this location because it has caused some dangerous conditions."
The slide apparently happened sometime in the morning hours ahead of the Utah Department of Transportation's planned avalanche mitigation, which was announced for 10 a.m. - noon the day before. The planned time for intermittent closures was bumped up to 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, though.
2News called to confirm scanner traffic of an avalanche in the canyon just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. A UDOT representative said an avalanche was reported at Bridal Veil Falls, noting that it wasn't affecting the roadway and no individuals were involved. UDOT
It didn't become clear how massive the slide was until after it was fully lit by sunlight.
However, authorities with the Department of Transportation didn't express a high level of concern over the event. In a statement to 2News, UDOT noted that "there was a pretty big slide that went right down Bridal Veil Falls, but didn't affect the road. We've set off a few additional avalanches, but nothing too major just yet."
