McKenzie Highway reopens to cars on Monday
The McKenzie Highway is reopening after last fall’s Milli Fire severely damaged the road. The winding, scenic highway is definitely not the same as it was before, but after several months of road and forest work, the new views are nearly ready to be appreciated.
If you drive along the highway, the fire destruction is unavoidable, and ODOT Region 4 Public Information Officer Peter Murphy said Tuesday he wants visitors to have a heads-up.
“We just want folks to be ready to see a different McKenzie Highway then we’ve had before,” Murphy said.
Since March, ODOT crews have been repairing eight miles of the McKenzie Pass route that were damaged in last year’s 24,000-acre Milli Fire.
“I don’t think we anticipated the damage that was done to the highway,” Murphy said.
“When that fire burned across, it just kind of kept going, and it wasn’t until it got to some of those lava fields that it stopped, so it really impacted a great stretch of the highway,” he added.
Melted pavement has been filled in, a new road shoulder has been built, culverts have been repaired and road signs have been replaced.
Now, it’s nearly time for visitors to see it for themselves. On Monday, the gates will reopen to pedestrians, bicycles and cars, and officials just want you to be prepared.
“It’s not bad. It’s just a shock to your system,” Murphy said. “When you come up and find that charcoal black piece of timber against that stark blue sky, it’s a visual impact you can’t escape.”
Despite that, the mountains are still visible and, if you look closely, new green growth is already starting to sprout in some fire-hit areas.
“It’s a natural occurrence. Fire is part of the forest environment, so it’s OK that it burns,” Murphy said.
The cost of repairing the stretch of highway has yet to be tallied, but Murphy said the money will be pulled from an already-established ODOT seasonal maintenance fund.
Crews will be on the highway through Thursday. Then bicyclists and pedestrians will have it to themselves until it officially reopens to vehicles on Monday.
According to the Deschutes National Forest, all trails have reopened that are accessible from the McKenzie Highway, except for the Black Crater Trail. Officials ask that hikers be careful, because there could still be hazardous trees or rocks on the trails.
