Roadwork continuing on Fishhole Creek Road
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The old cattleguard in the middle of the Fishhole Creek Road project area is backfilled with aggregate
BLY, Ore. – Forest Service road crews made excellent progress this week on Forest Service Road 3790, also known as Fishhole Creek Road, on the Bly Ranger District of the Fremont-Winema National Forest.
Over the past week, crews worked to prepare and shape the road surface for chip sealing, removed extra vegetation, took out and backfilled a cattleguard, paved around the two remaining cattleguards in an effort to strengthen the road in those areas, and began preparing for paving at the junction with Oregon State Highway 140.
The road crew spreads and rakes asphalt near the south cattleguard Friday on Forest Road 3790, also known as Fishhole Creek Road
While there were some challenges, including some unexpected extended road closures and high temperatures that caused delays in the asphalt setting up around the cattleguards on Friday, overall the project has gone smoothly so far.
“We are fortunate to have an extremely skilled and professional road crew and traffic control in place on this project, and they have been highly efficient this week while being responsive and trying to accommodate area residents,” said Engineering Staff Officer Aaron Eklund.
Originally it was planned that the paving at the junction of Fishhole Creek Road and Highway 140 would start Monday morning. Due to the paving challenges Friday, there is still prep that needs to be done at the junction and some final touches to prepare the rest of the road for chip seal.
As a result, there will be a temporary road closure for approximately 2 hours Monday sometime between mid-morning and early afternoon. There will be live updates on the status of the closure posted to the Forest Facebook page at www.facebook.com/r6FWNF and on Twitter @FremontWinemaNF.
A road crew member saw-cuts asphalt along the junction with Oregon State Highway 140.
Paving at the junction is expected to start Tuesday morning and the road will be closed to all traffic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for that work.
There is a Forest Closure Order in place to complete that work that goes through noon on Wednesday, August 5. It is formally referenced as order number 06-02-03-20-01.
Violations of the closure order are punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment of not more than 6 months or both.
While Forest engineers are confident that the work in that area will be completed by noon on Wednesday, there may be a need to extend the closure until 5 p.m. that day to complete the work. However, the road crew will try to accommodate area residents as much as they can.
“We are asking the public to help us get the work done completely, safely and accurately by being flexible on Monday as the road crew finishes the prep work and by respecting the closure order on Tuesday and staying out of the area,” said Eklund. “If the work continues into Wednesday, we will try to accommodate residents as much as we can to minimize the impacts.”
After the paving at the junction is complete, road crews will start chip sealing the road.
Please note that schedules may adjust based on weather or operational conditions, which could affect hours of daily operation or length and duration of the project. Forest managers are aware of the impacts to the public and are working to minimize those impacts within the constraints we have. They appreciate the flexibility and patience of the public in the area.
The work is being done on 3 miles of the road heading south from Highway 140.
Road crew members spread and rake asphalt near the south cattleguard on Forest Road 3790, also known as Fishhole Creek Road.
“This project on Fishhole Creek Road is our top priority this season,” Eklund said. “We appreciate the public’s patience, flexibility and assistance in maintain a safe project area for our neighbors and employees.”
Drivers on Fishhole Creek Road are asked to slow down, watch for equipment and personnel on the road, and to use caution in the area even when construction is not actively going on at night and during the weekends.
The Forest is continuing to provide daily updates during work days on Facebook, Twitter and on the Fremont-Winema National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema. Area residents who prefer a phone call or email update can contact Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Holt at shannon.holt@usda.gov or at 541-219-1332.
Those using Fishhole Creek Road to access the Forest are encouraged to take Highway 140 east to Quartz Mountain and the Fishhole Lake Recreation Area.
Until the chip seal is complete, and even in the days after, there will still be loose rocks and dirt. As on all Forest Roads, drivers should travel at appropriate speeds for the road surface and conditions, allow plenty of space between vehicles and watch for hazards.
For more information on the Fremont-Winema National Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema, follow the Forest on Twitter @FremontWinemaNF or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/R6FWNF.
Additional Photos
Source: Fremont-Winema National Forest