Forest Service Road 19 (Aufderheide) to close for four days

The scenic Aufderheide Drive (Forest Service Road 19) that connects Blue River and Westfir will close for four days for road work. The closure will occur near milepost 14, beginning at 12 p.m. on Monday, May 20th,  until 12 p.m. on Friday, May 24th.

The closure stretches from Forest Service Road 1928 to Forest Service Road 1940, cutting off access to the Kiahanie Campground. Travelers from highway 126 would be able to reach Box Canyon and Erma Bells but could not reach the North Fork River. Travelers from highway 58 would still be able to access the North Fork River but could not access Box Canyon and Erma Bells.

“We will be replacing a culvert that is in danger of failing,” said Zeke Langum, Roads Engineer for the Middle Fork Ranger District. “We understand that the closure is an inconvenience, but if we don’t correct the problem and the culvert fails, the repairs would take much longer.”

There is a detour around the closure, however, travelers are advised that most of the detour roads are not paved and require a high clearance vehicle. Using this route adds roughly 45 minutes to the trip.

Traveling south from Blue River, take Road 1940 to Road 1929, Road 1929 to Road 1927, Road 1927 to Road 1926, Road 1926 to Road 19.

Traveling north from Westfir, take Road 1926 to Road 1927, Road 1927 to Road 1929, Road 1929 to 1940, Road 1940 to Road 19.

The road is expected to be open before the Memorial Day weekend. For more information, contact the Middle Fork Ranger District at 541.782.2283. You may also check for current conditions on our website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/willamette and click on Current Conditions.