OKEECHOBEE — Access to a short section of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail will be intermittently closed for brief periods of time until May 7, 2020, to ensure public safety during maintenance of the S-191 water control structure near Okeechobee. The bridge over the S-191 structure and about 300 feet of the trail in both directions from the bridge will be intermittently closed for brief periods of less than a week at a time. SFWMD is improving two gates at S-191 and the closure is necessary to ensure public safety.

Special to the Lake Okeechobee News
SFWMD will intermittently close a small section of the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail and the bridge over the S-191 water control structure.

The closures include:
• Nov. 4 through Dec. 5: the structure will be closed to pedestrians on Mondays through Thursdays and open on Fridays through Sundays.

• Jan. 13, 2020, through Feb. 6: the structure will be closed to pedestrians Mondays through Thursdays and open on Fridays through Sundays. The structure will also be open on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on Jan. 20.

• Feb. 10 through March 12, 2020: the structure will be closed to pedestrians on Mondays through Thursdays and open on Fridays through Saturdays.

• April 13 through May 7, 2020: the structure will be closed to pedestrians on Mondays through Thursdays and open on Fridays through Saturdays.

The structure will reopen permanently to pedestrian traffic on Friday, May 8, 2020.

The public may still access the trail for walking, biking or other recreation.

SFWMD will continue to provide recreation updates to the public whenever new public recreational opportunities become available.