Petition updateRestore Safe Access Between Arizona and California-Rebuild the Cibola & Palo Verde Bridges
Holly Irwin
Casie HusbyCibola, AZ, United States
Aug 4, 2026
Dear Community Members,
The Oxbow Bridge has been a top priority since the day it collapsed, not only for the La Paz County Board of Supervisors, but for me personally. As a resident of Cibola, I understand how important this bridge is to our community and the impact its closure has had on our daily lives.
I want to provide an update on the work that has been completed and the efforts that continue to move this project forward. Restoring access across the Colorado River has required collaboration at every level of government, and I appreciate the commitment of our County Board of Supervisors, state officials, congressional representatives, and our local partners who continue to advocate for a long-term solution.
Below is an overview of the actions taken to date and the ongoing efforts to restore safe and reliable access for our community.
August 1, 2025 - Oxbow bridge collapse: I was in immediate contact with our County Sheriff, Emergency Management, Public Works office and departments, then the Governor's office, Congressman Gosar, and Representative Leo Biasiucci’s office, who offered any assistance the County and I needed. I also reached out to the Bureau of Reclamation (as they control the river's waterways) to inform them that the Oxbow bridge had collapsed and posed an immediate safety hazard. Other agencies were contacted as well, including USFWS, BLM, and AZ Game & Fish, to request assistance. DEMA (Department of Emergency Management Affairs) responded immediately under the direction of Governor Hobbs and continued to work with the County until the recovery of the collapsed bridge was complete.
August 7, 2025- Resolution was passed by the Board of Supervisors declaring an Emergency, followed by;
August 11, 2025- Declaration by Governor Hobbs a State of emergency regarding the Oxbow bridge and releasing funds in the amount of $ 200,00 to DEMA for immediate response to the collapse. An additional $2.6 million was allocated by the State to La Paz County for the removal of debris from the river, with coordination with our staff throughout this entire process. Also directly involved were Representative Leo Biasiucci and Congressman’s representative Penny Pew, and other agencies mentioned above. Numerous meetings were held during this process, and the total Emergency funds from the state were $2.8 million.
My next steps was to see how much the cost would be to rebuild the Oxbow bridge which is estimated to be $ 13.2 million dollars. Funding for this project was the next step, so the County approved to apply for the FLAP (Federal Lands Access Program) grant which is only available every 4 years. The County had received funds in the past from this grant source for the restoration of the Farmer’s Bridge. The Board of Supervisors approved allocating $25,000 to our consulting firm to prepare our application, which was submitted on 11-21-2025. Included in this application were support letters from:
Governor Hobbs, Congressman Gosar, Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Ruben Gallego, Representative Leo Biasiucci, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, USFWS. I reached out to the community requesting support letters which were also included in the grant application.
December 15, 2025 - County received confirmation that our FLAP grant project was eligible and would move into the next phase of the grant process.
April 14, 2026- The county received notification that our project for the Oxbow bridge was not selected.
July 16, 2016- The County submitted another grant application for the Oxbow Bridge replacement with leftover funds previously allocated from the $ 25,000 that was approved for the FLAP grant. An answer on whether we are selected will be provided by August 31, 2026. I spoke with Representative Biasiucci yesterday, and he sent an email yesterday to DOT (since we could not amend our application in light of the Cibola bridge collapse) outlining how critical it is that we receive funding now that we are down to 1 access bridge in and out of Cibola township.
The Oxbow bridge replacement, along with the health and safety of my community, has and always will be my top priority since the bridge collapse. I can not express enough gratitude from my department, our elected officials, County, State and Congression along with Federal and State agencies who gave us an immediate response on this emergency and continue to collaborate with La Paz County to assist us in obtaining funding for the replacement of the Oxbow bridge, they all know how critical it is, and have been an ongoing effort. Congressman Gosar’s representatives have visited the Oxbow site twice.
Cibola Bridge- July 7, 2026- collapsed, and ownership is the Bureau of Reclamation. Again, I immediately contacted the Governor’s office, Congressman Gosar’s office, Representative Leo Biasiucci, and the Bureau of Reclamation (Chris Wallis), informing them that another bridge had collapsed in the river. BOR was aware of the situation and was already sending its team up. DEMA is also involved and notified me that they were working collaboratively with the BOR. The BOR has also been in contact with our Emergency Management Department and obtained the information for the contractor the State used (Graymar) for the Oxbow Bridge removal. As soon as I have any more information on the timeline of the BOR replacement, I will update the community.
The County has prioritized the replacement of the Oxbow bridge and will continue to collaborate with the State and Federal elected officials and agencies, and these efforts will continue until the bridge is rebuilt.
Holly Irwin,
District 3 Supervisor
The Oxbow Bridge has been a top priority since the day it collapsed, not only for the La Paz County Board of Supervisors, but for me personally. As a resident of Cibola, I understand how important this bridge is to our community and the impact its closure has had on our daily lives.
I want to provide an update on the work that has been completed and the efforts that continue to move this project forward. Restoring access across the Colorado River has required collaboration at every level of government, and I appreciate the commitment of our County Board of Supervisors, state officials, congressional representatives, and our local partners who continue to advocate for a long-term solution.
Below is an overview of the actions taken to date and the ongoing efforts to restore safe and reliable access for our community.
August 1, 2025 - Oxbow bridge collapse: I was in immediate contact with our County Sheriff, Emergency Management, Public Works office and departments, then the Governor's office, Congressman Gosar, and Representative Leo Biasiucci’s office, who offered any assistance the County and I needed. I also reached out to the Bureau of Reclamation (as they control the river's waterways) to inform them that the Oxbow bridge had collapsed and posed an immediate safety hazard. Other agencies were contacted as well, including USFWS, BLM, and AZ Game & Fish, to request assistance. DEMA (Department of Emergency Management Affairs) responded immediately under the direction of Governor Hobbs and continued to work with the County until the recovery of the collapsed bridge was complete.
August 7, 2025- Resolution was passed by the Board of Supervisors declaring an Emergency, followed by;
August 11, 2025- Declaration by Governor Hobbs a State of emergency regarding the Oxbow bridge and releasing funds in the amount of $ 200,00 to DEMA for immediate response to the collapse. An additional $2.6 million was allocated by the State to La Paz County for the removal of debris from the river, with coordination with our staff throughout this entire process. Also directly involved were Representative Leo Biasiucci and Congressman’s representative Penny Pew, and other agencies mentioned above. Numerous meetings were held during this process, and the total Emergency funds from the state were $2.8 million.
My next steps was to see how much the cost would be to rebuild the Oxbow bridge which is estimated to be $ 13.2 million dollars. Funding for this project was the next step, so the County approved to apply for the FLAP (Federal Lands Access Program) grant which is only available every 4 years. The County had received funds in the past from this grant source for the restoration of the Farmer’s Bridge. The Board of Supervisors approved allocating $25,000 to our consulting firm to prepare our application, which was submitted on 11-21-2025. Included in this application were support letters from:
Governor Hobbs, Congressman Gosar, Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Ruben Gallego, Representative Leo Biasiucci, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, USFWS. I reached out to the community requesting support letters which were also included in the grant application.
December 15, 2025 - County received confirmation that our FLAP grant project was eligible and would move into the next phase of the grant process.
April 14, 2026- The county received notification that our project for the Oxbow bridge was not selected.
July 16, 2016- The County submitted another grant application for the Oxbow Bridge replacement with leftover funds previously allocated from the $ 25,000 that was approved for the FLAP grant. An answer on whether we are selected will be provided by August 31, 2026. I spoke with Representative Biasiucci yesterday, and he sent an email yesterday to DOT (since we could not amend our application in light of the Cibola bridge collapse) outlining how critical it is that we receive funding now that we are down to 1 access bridge in and out of Cibola township.
The Oxbow bridge replacement, along with the health and safety of my community, has and always will be my top priority since the bridge collapse. I can not express enough gratitude from my department, our elected officials, County, State and Congression along with Federal and State agencies who gave us an immediate response on this emergency and continue to collaborate with La Paz County to assist us in obtaining funding for the replacement of the Oxbow bridge, they all know how critical it is, and have been an ongoing effort. Congressman Gosar’s representatives have visited the Oxbow site twice.
Cibola Bridge- July 7, 2026- collapsed, and ownership is the Bureau of Reclamation. Again, I immediately contacted the Governor’s office, Congressman Gosar’s office, Representative Leo Biasiucci, and the Bureau of Reclamation (Chris Wallis), informing them that another bridge had collapsed in the river. BOR was aware of the situation and was already sending its team up. DEMA is also involved and notified me that they were working collaboratively with the BOR. The BOR has also been in contact with our Emergency Management Department and obtained the information for the contractor the State used (Graymar) for the Oxbow Bridge removal. As soon as I have any more information on the timeline of the BOR replacement, I will update the community.
The County has prioritized the replacement of the Oxbow bridge and will continue to collaborate with the State and Federal elected officials and agencies, and these efforts will continue until the bridge is rebuilt.
Holly Irwin,
District 3 Supervisor
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