UPDATE: Per an update sent by the Gila Cliff Dwellings and New Mexico Dept. Of Transportation, the overall repair work on the bridge is anticipated to last 2 months, however, as soon as the bridge is repaired where it is passable by vehicle, the Gila Cliff Dwellings monument will  be re-opened  and this is anticipated to be by November 24. The Gila Cliff Dwellings Visitor Center will remain open throughout the time the bridge is being repaired.
 
(Mimbres, NM-October 17, 2011) The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument will be closing temporarily for the safety of the public beginning Monday, October 24 through Thursday, December 24, 2011. The temporary closure is due to major repairs scheduled for the West Fork Bridge on New Mexico Highway 15 and is dependent on weather conditions.
 
Upper and Lower Scorpion Campgrounds, TJ Corral and associated trailheads will remain open  but will be inaccessible for vehicle travel due to the bridge work. Visitors can walk to these recreation sites which will require crossing the river on foot. Parking will be available at Woody's Corral.
 
A New Mexico Department of Transportation contractor will reconstruct the north approach of the bridge that was damaged by flooding in 2008 and 2010. After the road is reopened, there may be brief closures of the roadway due to continued construction activities on the abutments on both ends of the bridge.
 
To compensate for the temporary closure, guided tours of the TJ Ruins Site will be available at no cost during this time. These tours will provide visitors the opportunity to examine the above-ground evidence of an unexcavated, 200-room Classic Mimbres pueblo located just east of the Gila Visitor Center.
 
The TJ Site is accessible ONLY by guided tour. Tours will be offered daily at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and are limited to 20 persons. Each tour takes approximately 1 1/2 hours. Ten spaces on each tour may be reserved in advance by calling the Visitor Center at 575-536-9461. Participants MUST be at the Visitor Center by start time of tours. Hiking shoes are strongly recommended.
 
Anyone entering the Cliff Dwellings at any time during the temporary closure period is subject to ticketing and fines.
 
Once NM 15 reopens, TJ Site tours will no longer be offered. For up-to-date information, please call the Visitor Center at 575-536-9461 or visit the Monument's web site at www.nps.gov/gicl.