News and Events

HJA Road 15 Repair - September 10 - November 15 Repair to road 15 to the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest will occur between September 10 and November 15.  During this period road access from the McKenzie Highway 126 on USFS Road 15 will be limited due to repair of damage from the landslide that occurred along the Blue River Reservoir last winter.  This repair will involve building a rock embankment to stabilize the area and restore the original road prism, which will involve around 3000 dump truck loads of rock.  The work period will be from 9AM to 5PM daily. The contractors doing the repairs have agreed to allow free transit across the slide area to Andrews visitors from 8-9AM and from 5-6PM.  From 9AM to 5PM the work area will be closed to traffic.   After/before work hours (6PM – 8AM) there will be two gates blocking public access across the slide.  Andrews staff will have the combination or the key to the lock on the gate, which will allow us to facilitate transit across the slide area during the off-work hours.   There are two alternate routes to the Andrews (pdf maps below) that will allow free access to the site at any time of day; both will add a significant amount of time to the trip.  The first is from Highway 126 north of the McKenzie River Ranger District office on the Deer Creek Road (USFS 2654) to USFS 15 (just NE of Wolf Rock) and down the Blue River Road to Andrews HQ.  This could add as much as an hour to a trip to the Andrews from the Eugene/Springfield Area.  For those coming from the north, Highway 20 connects with USFS 15 Road near Iron Mountain, and one can drive the full extent of the 15 Road to HQ.  This may add anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to the trip from Corvallis.  We can send a scanned PDF map of either route to those who are interested in taking it.   Given the above constraints on travel to HJA, it is very important to plan the route and stick to whatever schedule you decide on - at least if it involves crossing the landslide work zone.  If you can schedule your travel such that you are crossing the slide zone during the 8-9AM and 5-6PM time slots that will be the smoothest scenario.  The next easiest will be to plan to hit the slide zone in the 6PM - 8AM window.  The two alternate routes provide complete flexibility in travel, but do involve an investment of up to two extra hours in total transit to and from the HJA.  If you are planning on coming to the Andrews, please let us know your plans so that we can facilitate access (depending on the lock situation at the gates, we may need to have someone there to meet you and get you through the gates).    We apologize for the inconvenience this road work will cause, but this is the only window in which weather and reservoir levels allow for a successful repair operation.   Alternative access routes maps (pdf):      15RD from Hwy 20 near Iron Mountain (Tombstone Pass)      Deer Creek from Hwy 126 east of McKenzie Bridge  **WARNING for the Deer Creek alternative route - log trucks are hauling on Deer Creek Road.  Be very careful if you choose this route.   For more updated information contact Kathy Keable or Mark Schulze.

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