Image from The Denver Post

Christo’s controversial “Over the River” project, which would suspend fabric panels across a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River, has been approved by Fremont County. The project still needs to get the go-ahead from Chaffee County, the Colorado State Department of Transportation, and the State Patrol.

“Over the River” has already been approved by the US Bureau of Land Management, which has determined that the project would not be harmful to wildlife, traffic, or the environment – a decision that the group Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR) has been questioning for months.

ROAR’s spokeswoman, Joan Anzelmo, expressed disappointment in an interview with the Denver Post, saying, “The 2.5-year construction phase is similar to a mining operation. There will be massive amounts of drilling equipment and cranes, 9,000 holes drilled into the canyon. It’s so mind-boggling to think the agencies responsible for protecting wildlife and the good of the public have approved this project.”

ROAR is hoping that their two pending lawsuits will succeed in blocking the massive art installation, which is set to begin in 2015.