Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District outlines spring road opening, closure plans

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest said Wednesday it wants to let the public know about a range of road openings and closures as people look to recreate this spring.

Euro Stewardship Project

The Euro Stewardship Project is located within the West Bend planning area. The contract for the Euro Stewardship Project was awarded late last year and operations now are occurring on the ground. These operations will require closures at this time. These include:

• Forest Service Road (FSR) 4610

FSR 4610 is located between Skyliner’s Road and Century Drive and crosses several trails within the Phil’s Trail system. FSR 4610 is  closed between FSR 4604 and Skyliner’s Road while a contractor  hauls slash (trees, limbs, and root wads) and  shapes the road, installs drainage, and adds rock to some locations.

• FSR  4601 – 300, 310, 320 and 322  

Road work also is being done on FSR 4601 – 300, 310, 320 and 322. These roads are closed during road reconstruction.

All roads will reopen to the public once road reconstruction is completed.

Cascade Lakes Highway and FSR 42

FSR 42 is open from the Crescent Cut-off Road to Crane Prairie Resort. However, traffic may still be blocked from FSR 42 to Cascade Lakes Highway (FSR 46) because of snow and ice conditions on the roadway. For information about all of Cascade Lakes Highway, people should visit Deschutes County’s website: https://www.deschutes.org/road/page/news-and-closures)

FSR 4606 and FSR 4604

The warmer weather we had last weekend helped improve road conditions. Gates on both FSR 4606 (City Water Treatment to Taylor NW area) and FSR 4604 (Phil’s Trail area) will open Wednesday.

Tumalo Falls Road – FSR 4603

The road to Tumalo Falls (FSR 4603) is expected to remain closed until mid-June. An announcement will be made when it opens.

Paulina Lake Road (FSR 21)

Paulina Lake Road is managed by Deschutes County and it remains closed. People interested in knowing the status of the road should go to Deschutes County’s road website: https://www.deschutes.org/road/page/news-and-closures)

FSR 4600-370

If funding becomes available to do road maintenance on this popular road this year, it may open as late as mid-July this year. Though the road is maintained only for high-clearance vehicles, it has some significant damage that needs to be repaired.

Finally, people are asked to pay attention to road conditions this time of year. Spring conditions can be hazardous and people can easily find themselves stuck in snow or mud, creating a safety issue for themselves and causing road damage. At all times people should reduce speed and expect surprises on Forest Service Roads.

Moisture on roads is to be expected at this time of year from melting snow and rains and it is when most damage is done to roads, i.e. ruts and potholes. When roads are damaged many drivers then begin driving around the issue, causing even more damage beyond the designed road width, which impacts adjacent soil and vegetation.  

If a person has a question about a road, they can look at either the Deschutes National Forest or Deschutes County websites, or call the Forest Service Office nearest the road they are interested in.