Payson Canyon road completely washed away

UTAH COUNTY, Utah — What started a few days ago is now complete as a Payson Canyon road has been completely washed out due to heavy waterflow from melting snowpack.

New video taken Wednesday evening by Moses Fletcher shows a portion of the canyon’s Nebo Loop Scenic Byway washed out across the entire road, a large increase from earlier in the week when only one lane was affected.

The damaged road is just past the entrance to the Shram Creek trailhead.

Due to the water and road issues, the road has been completely shut down.

Fletcher told FOX 13 News that he was riding his bike in the canyon when two motorcylists heading down the mountain stopped and warned him about the road, saying it collapsed immediately after they passed.

“They said they were lucky to make it across,” Fletcher wrote. “I decided to continue peddling up the canyon to see if I could find it, and I stumbled upon the whole road collapsed.”

Fletcher added that the whole area felt “very unstable” and unsafe, so he left after taking his video.

Canyon roads usually open by Memorial Day but officials report the damage is expected to push things back by about two weeks as repairs are made.