 Traffic controllers will be seen often on OR 224 after the highway re-opens May 1
The OR 224 corridor will look different after the May 1 road re-opening
March 16, 2022
Contact: Don Hamilton, ODOT, 503-704-7452
The public will see a very different OR 224 corridor after the road re-opens May 1.
ODOT and the U.S. Forest Service are still working to re-open the road but the changes will be clear.
All forest roads up to and beyond Ripplebrook will remain closed. Almost all national forest roads and recreation sites will remain closed through 2022 by the extensive damage caused by the Labor Day 2020 wildfire. Hole in the Wall and Moore Creek Boat Access Day Sites, though, will open to river users when OR 224 re-opens.
The fire had an impact big and small on recreation sites in the corridor. Restoration of the recreation opportunities will be gradual and this summer will primarily be limited to sightseeing from the pavement.
After May 1, visitors will see changes and not just the continued closure of familiar recreation sites. “No Parking” zones will be more frequent. Installation of new “Rough Road” signs is under way in areas awaiting paving. Visitors will experience frequent weekday delays, perhaps reaching 20 minutes, in as many as five different work zones. And trucks loaded with trees and debris will be more common.
The work will continue through the summer.
Much work remains to be done before the road can re-open, including guardrail repairs, removing stacked trees and repaving.
What’s happening now
- Rock scaling work will continue to bring down loose rocks at several sites.
- Crews completed guardrail repairs at Roaring River after the arrival of parts that had been specially ordered.
- In some locations, guardrail installation had to wait until completion of rock scaling, assuring rockfall won’t damage new guardrails or new pothole repairs.
- Full paving of the road will take place periodically through the summer probably starting in July.
- Installation of restraining mesh continues at several sites. The mesh is anchored into the hillside and helps contain future rockfall.
For forest recovery updates go to Mt. Hood National Forest fire recovery.
For road information go to the Wildfire Recovery website.
Last Thursday March 10, ODOT and Mount Hood National Forest hosted a community meeting with updates about the corridor. View the recorded meeting here:
https://www.facebook.com/mthoodnf/videos/347298997147030
Tree stacks like these will continue to be removed from the OR 224 corridor through the summer
Visit our wildfire recovery page for more information. Have a question? Ask ODOT.
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