Weber County outlines safety, recreation upgrades at Kazzy Reservoir

Weber County officials led a site tour at Memorial Park near Kazzy Reservoir to preview a multiagency project intended to improve safety and expand recreation access, county presenters said.

"This is a major project to increase safety and also increase the recreation experience for our residents here in Weber County," the county presenter said during the tour. Officials said the effort has been on the drawing board for about five years and is funded by a Public Land Access Grant along with the Bureau of Reclamation, Weber County and the U.S. Forest Service.

Brad Craig, identified on the tour as Weber County Director of Parks and Recreation, said the park will remain open during construction. "The park is going to remain open and our gate times are from 7 to 10. Individual sites are on a first come first basis. And if you're interested in reserving our group sites like the one we're standing in now, you can go to wcparksrec.com," Craig said.

Officials described several engineering and access changes. Craig said crews will cut through an existing hillside to straighten a sharp, blind curve and realign the road so that the major movement takes traffic across the dam rather than forcing a tight turn. Power poles already have been relocated to follow the new alignment. The project includes excavation and reconstruction of failing retaining walls and widening the roadway to a minimum of 22 feet so two vehicles can pass side by side.

Craig said the project will expand parking: "When it's done, we're going to have 133 parking spaces with six accessible spaces as well as an accessible beach access." He also said a failed culvert on Skull Crack Road will be replaced to accommodate aquatic organism passage, the Skull Crack parking lot will be extended, and a boat ramp for non‑motorized boats will be constructed to aid recreation and search‑and‑rescue access.

At the Beaver Creek structure, Craig said the old bridge will be removed and replaced with a precast bridge that can be trucked in and set in pieces to minimize the road shutdown. County presenters said the full reconstruction will extend from the Highway 39 intersection east through the project area and include at least 22 feet of paved roadway width where currently narrower pavement exists.

Officials cautioned that portions of Kazzy Road from the highway will be limited to one lane for a good portion of the summer and asked recreational users to allow extra travel time. The county reiterated that the work is intended to improve safety and the recreation experience at a popular local site. For group site reservations, officials directed visitors to wcparksrec.com.

The site tour did not include a formal vote or regulatory action; officials described construction sequencing, partners and expected traffic impacts but did not provide a firm start or completion date during the presentation.