Colorado City, Ariz. — Plans are moving forward to replace the aging Central Street crossing of Short Creek Wash, a low-water bridge that has long been vulnerable to flood damage. The project is a joint effort between FEMA, the Town of Colorado City, and Mohave County, with the county administering the design contract. Mohave County has awarded engineering firm Horrocks to design the replacement structure, with preliminary work now underway.
A Crossing Prone to Flooding
The Central Street bridge crossing: It’s a low-water crossing, meaning it sits close to the wash bed rather than well above it — so when a big storm hits, water rises over the road. The purpose of the project is to increase the flood conveyance capacity of the existing Central Street Bridge crossing over Short Creek, which currently cannot handle even a 10-year flood event. In practical terms, that means even a fairly ordinary storm can push water over the roadway.
When that happens, officials have to close Central Street to keep people safe — and that closure cuts off a route that police, fire, and ambulance crews rely on to reach residents. Left as-is, the low-water crossing carries an ongoing risk of bridge damage or failure during flood events.
Officials also considered upgrading the nearby Hilldale Street crossing instead, but that alternative was ruled out due to higher projected costs, and federal reviewers determined that rebuilding at Central Street is the only practicable option. Colorado City has confirmed the project meets local floodplain standards and will take on responsibility for managing, constructing, and maintaining the new crossing once it’s built.
Federal Funding, Local Oversight
Funding is coming through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, with the Mohave County Flood Control District serving as the subapplicant for the current phase of work — design, a geotechnical survey, and a hydrologic and hydraulic study. That federal involvement means the project must also satisfy floodplain and wetlands protection requirements before construction can begin.
As part of that early groundwork, a mobile drill rig is being used to bore eight test holes: two through the pavement on Central Street itself, and six more in the earthen channel upstream and downstream of the existing bridge, all within the footprint of the planned new structure. The pavement borings will be patched with concrete slurry, while the channel borings will be backfilled with native material once soil samples are collected.
What the New Crossing Will Look Like
The design calls for raising Central Street by roughly 8 feet at the crossing, with the road running over two large culverts — box-shaped drainage structures, each 48 feet wide — built into the wash. The taller, wider crossing is sized to safely handle a 100-year storm, a significant upgrade from what the road can handle today. The goal is straightforward: keep Central Street open and passable even during major storms, instead of forcing repeated closures.
Mohave County selected the engineering firm Horrocks for the design work through a competitive qualifications process, with the county’s Board of Supervisors formally awarding the contract on June 1, 2026. Sean Nugent, PE, is serving as principal/project manager on the Horrocks team.
Where the Project Stands Now
According to Nugent, the current geotechnical investigation is feeding directly into the structural design: a geotech firm is analyzing soil conditions so engineers can properly design the new bridge’s foundations.
The project kicked off about a month ago and is currently in preliminary design, with the team recently starting to lay out geometric alternatives for the crossing. The overall design phase is expected to take roughly a year and a half, largely driven by the time needed to secure the required Army Corps of Engineers and environmental permits.
The immediate priority is producing an updated hydraulic analysis that confirms how much stormwater the new bridge needs to accommodate. That analysis will need sign-off from both Mohave County Flood Control and the Town of Colorado City before the design can move into its final refinement stage. Once that concept approval is secured, the design team will finalize the bridge details while simultaneously working with permitting agencies for their review and input.
Looking Ahead to Construction
Construction of the new bridge is expected to take about 18 months once design and permitting are complete, though that timeline could shift depending on winter weather conditions during the build. Project leaders say the schedule and expectations will be refined further as design work progresses.
For a community that has weathered flooding along Short Creek for generations, the upgraded crossing is intended to give Central Street a bridge built to handle the wash’s storm flows for years to come.
