Hikers hoping to trek the popular Ice Caves Trail will not have to wait much longer.

Construction of a new trail bridge over the Stillaguamish River is underway.

The trail has been closed since November 2006 when floods washed the bridge out.

Heavy construction will keep the Big Four Picnic Area and trail closed until the project is finished. Those continuing to ignore the closures signs and enter the area may be ticketed and fined.

The current closure won’t last long, with the Forest Service hoping to have the bridge done and the trail open by early July. The Ice Caves Trail is a heavily used, barrier-free trail on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, designated as a National Recreation Trail. It crosses the South Fork Stillaguamish River about one-third mile from the trailhead and continues beyond the river for three-quarters of a mile to the base of Big Four Mountain, where the ice caves form.

Funding for the repairs is from the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration under the Emergency Relief to Federally Owned Roads program.

For more information about roads and trail closures, go to www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs/.