By admin 
CIBOLA, AZ (AZFamily) — The federal government is stepping in to help rebuild a Colorado River bridge that collapsed in July after a wildfire burned through its supports.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation will provide $4.25 million in emergency funding to repair the Lower Cibola Bridge in La Paz County, Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego announced Thursday.
The bridge, also known as the Hart Mine Road Bridge, sits about 25 miles south of Blythe, California, and serves as a key route for local farmers, residents, federal workers and emergency responders.
Its collapse eliminated a primary access point, forcing long detours for people traveling through the area.
“It now takes our farmer over an hour. What took over five minutes to get from our place to the island unit, it’s now taking over an hour and not only the time but the safety of it. He is taking, you know, a dirt road that you know it’s not meant to have farm equipment run across it,” local farmer Amy Etienne said.
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Etienne said she’s glad for the funding but worried the repairs will take a long time.
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation says the bridge partially collapsed into the Colorado River on July 27 after the Island Fire ignited its timber supports, causing two center spans to give way.
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