Looking Ahead to Spring & Summer Road Conditions on the Mt. Hood NF
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Spring has finally arrived to the area and with warmer temperatures more people will be visiting the Mt. Hood National Forest. Warmer temperatures also mean that road maintenance and timber projects will be getting started.
As the snow melts and some roads become passable visitors need to be prepared for possible landslides, downed trees, rock fall or road damage from winter conditions. But while it is warming up at lower elevations many of our higher elevation roads remain blocked by snow. There may still be dangerous driving conditions above 3,500 feet where deep snow remains.
Several roads on the Mt. Hood NF will be affected by logging activities or road construction and maintenance projects this spring and summer. Some roads may be affected by temporary closures, detours or lane closures. Drivers should expect to see large equipment and fully loaded log trucks on some roads. Road users are advised to be wary of all road and trail conditions. Slow down and proceed with caution, especially on single lane roads and the roads listed below. Use turnouts and make sure you can stop within half your sight distance.
It’s always a good practice to let someone know which roads or area you will be visiting for the day and to carry an emergency pack with extra food, water and warm clothes in case you get stuck or lost. Cell phone service can be spotty so it is best to have a map and insure that someone knows when to expect you home.
The following roads will be affected by timber harvest activities or construction projects this summer. This is not an exhaustive list however, as we have other road maintenance activities planned across the forest that will begin in mid to late June and continue to November. Other roads may be impacted by log or rock haul, as well as helicopter logging. In addition, please be on the lookout for falling rocks and landslides as the snow melts and the land thaws.
Check our Roads Table on the Mt. Hood NF website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mthood/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5191108 or call your local district office for the latest updates.
Zigzag RD
- 2612 Still Creek Rd. Still Creek Tributary D Culvert will be replaced. The road will be closed at approx. MP 7.5 from July 15-September 30. Could open sooner depending on weather.
Clackamas RD
- Road 46 at MP 0.20, just past the 46/57 junction will be impacted by delays and temporary closures.
- Road work and culvert replacements will cause temporary closures and delays on roads 5720, 4635, and 4635-120.
- The area around La Dee Flats will be affected by a nearby timber project. Road 4610 will be closed starting the last week of May, Monday-Friday until 4:00 PM through the spring and summer.
- Roads 46 and 57 will be striped this summer as weather permits. This will cause delays and equipment in the roadway. Use caution and follow directions from signs and flaggers.
- Asphalt surface maintenance will occur on Road 42. This will cause delays and lane closures this summer.
- Rock scaling operations could begin on Road 57 as early as mid-May. There are no firm dates yet but the project could cause delays and short term closures.
- Timber haul will occur on many Clackamas RD roads this spring and summer. The heaviest impacted will be Roads 70, 63, 57 and 42.
Hood River RD
- Road 16, known as Red Hill Road will undergo major road re-construction starting June 1 with traffic delays and a 4-day road closure later this summer. In addition expect a high volume of timber harvest related traffic.
- Road 13, 1310, & 1311 will be impacted by a timber sale that may be beginning in May.
- Road 1310 Wahtum Lake Road has rock slides beginning at MP 1.5 and snow is present just past this point.
- Road 1300 Lost Lake Road will have new centerline striping this summer as weather permits.
- Road 1340 will be impacted by timber harvest, log hauling and helicopter logging beginning mid-summer.
- Road 2810, Green Point Road, will undergo major road re-construction beginning in May that will cause traffic delays. This will include full road closures during the daylight hours. The road will be open weekends and holidays. Expect high volumes of logging traffic June-November.
- Roads 1610, 1611, & 1612 will undergo major road reconstruction and an asphalt surface paving project along with heavy log hauling traffic.
- Road 1700, known as Pinemont Road, will have asphalt surface paving and logging traffic this summer.
- Road 1800 & 1811 will have high volumes of logging traffic and road maintenance activities June-November.
- Road 2820, Dead Point Road - Hood River County will be implementing timber project with log haul, expect delays.
- Roads 2840, 3512, 3531, 4300, 4400, 4410, & 4800 will undergo asphalt and aggregate base surface maintenance projects along with roadside ditch and culvert cleaning.
Barlow RD
- Cattle guard replacement work will take place on Road 48 this spring, causing short delays. This project should last about three weeks. Asphalt surface maintenance will also occur on this road.
- Road 4820, expect asphalt surface paving and maintenance mid- summer.
- Road 4410, expect aggregate surface maintenance, ditch and culvert cleaning and danger tree removal starting mid-June, expect delays.
- Road 4421, expect aggregate surface maintenance and ditch and culvert cleaning starting in July.
- Roads 2700 & 2710, expect aggregate surface maintenance and ditch and culvert cleaning starting in June.
- Road 2120, expect aggregate surface maintenance, ditch and culvert cleaning along with timber harvest and logging traffic starting June 1.
- Roads 4330, 4310, 2310, & 2130, expect high volumes of logging traffic and road maintenance activities June - November.
We are looking forward to completing several much needed road maintenance and re-construction projects across the Forest this year. We thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we strive to maintain a safe and efficient transportation system that takes visitors to all of their favorite places. Our timber and culvert replacement projects benefit natural resources while also helping the local economy. These projects are an important part of the Forest Service mission to improve the resilience of the forest and fish habitat.
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