In keeping with the wishes of the Blair County Emergency Management Agency, the Altoona Water Authority will close off access to its watershed land near the Horseshoe Curve on the morning of July 11, when the Union Pacific’s Big Boy steam locomotive will be at the historic site for a short viewing.

At that time, the watershed ground will be patrolled by state Game Commission personnel, according to Brad Kelly, the authority’s sewer operations director, speaking at a meeting Thursday.

The authority has enrolled more than 10,000 acres of its watershed land into the commission’s Hunter Access Program, which allows hunting, hiking and non-motorized recreation in exchange for commission patrols to ensure protection of the watershed from prohibited activities, according to an online source.

The restrictions on July 11 are for the safety of people interested in seeing the Big Boy, Kelly said.

The concerns include an area with cliffs from which there is a risk of falling, Kelly said.

There will be signs alerting people to the restrictions, officials said.

The Veterans Memorial Highway that leads to the Curve will be shut down for the event, Kelly said.

The area around the Curve will be a staging site for Game Commission personnel and for others connected with emergency management operations, Kelly said.

The Union Pacific’s schedule for the Big Boy on July 11 calls for the locomotive to leave Altoona at 9 a.m. and to arrive at the Curve at 9:30 for a half-hour viewing for ticketholders only.

The viewing event is sold out, according to the schedule.

The locomotive will leave the Curve at 10 a.m. and arrive in Cresson Railroad Park at 10:45 for another half-hour viewing, according to the schedule.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.