New Bridge Goin' Up On Eagle Creek Trail

[MarkInTheDark]

just in case you did not see this one....


Eagle Creek bridge is ready for replacement, trail could re-open soon

Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLiveBy Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/OregonLive

on February 03, 2017 at 3:48 PM



Eagle Creek hikers, fret no more: a new bridge is finally on its way.

It's been a little more than a year since a winter storm destroyed the Tish Creek bridge on the popular Eagle Creek trail in the Columbia River Gorge, but a replacement may come soon, U.S. Forest Service officials said Friday.

As soon as a clear weather window opens, a helicopter will airlift the old bridge out, and airlift a new bridge in, officially re-opening the trail to hikers.

"It is hard to believe that the day is so close," said Rachel Pawlitz, spokeswoman for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. "I think we're still on pins and needles because we're racing against the clock."
Crews have until March 1 to replace the bridge. If they miss that deadline, they won't be able to work again until October 1. They have the endangered northern spotted owl to thank for that window, which nests in the area between March and September.

The trail has been officially closed at Tish Creek since December 2015, when a Douglas fir came crashing down onto the 41-foot metal truss bridge, originally built in 1963. Plenty of hikers have flouted the closure and crossed the shallow creek without incident, but forest officials will be happy to have a safe crossing once again.

The new bridge will be made of durable fiber-reinforced polymer. The project is being paid for by a $110,000 grant from the Federal Lands Transportation Program, with additional funds from the U.S. Forest Service.
Pawlitz said there's no set date on the replacement, which is dependent upon the often-rough winter weather in the Columbia River Gorge. According to the most recent weather forecast, that window isn't likely to come any time in the next week - snow and rain is expected in the area through Thursday.

It's not the only project happening on the trail. In January, a viewpoint of Metlako Falls was destroyed by a landslide. Pawlitz said the future of the viewpoint it still up in the air, as forest officials wait for a geological assessment later this winter to determine the stability of the land.

It may mean a slight transformation for the popular trail, known for its sheer cliff faces and waterfall views, but the new bridge should come as a sigh of relief for officials and hikers alike.

"I think we're very close," Pawlitz said.

[Guy]

Hope I am wrong but given the current impassible state of the Eagle Creek Trail & continuing cold weather I can't see them making their March 1st Deadline. After this date they are not allowed to do anything for 6 months or more due to it being possible spotted owl habitat.

[Don Nelsen]

Hope I am wrong but given the current impassible state of the Eagle Creek Trail & continuing cold weather I can't see them making their March 1st Deadline. After this date they are not allowed to do anything for 6 months or more due to it being possible spotted owl habitat.

Guy, I agree, but in any event, I'm thinking of going up there tomorrow to check out conditions. I'll let you know what I find if I can get that far.

dn

[Guy]

Hope I am wrong but given the current impassible state of the Eagle Creek Trail & continuing cold weather I can't see them making their March 1st Deadline. After this date they are not allowed to do anything for 6 months or more due to it being possible spotted owl habitat.

Guy, I agree, but in any event, I'm thinking of going up there tomorrow to check out conditions. I'll let you know what I find if I can get that far.

dn

Take lots of Photos and above all be careful Don!

[kepPNW]

Hope I am wrong but given the current impassible state of the Eagle Creek Trail & continuing cold weather I can't see them making their March 1st Deadline. After this date they are not allowed to do anything for 6 months or more due to it being possible spotted owl habitat.

Terrible timing for the worst winter in (everyone but Don's ) memory.

The trail has been officially closed at Tish Creek since December 2015 ... Plenty of hikers have flouted the closure and crossed the shallow creek without incident,

I had to talk to him, after reading that. Seems terribly irresponsible to keep on saying that the trail is closed, when it clearly isn't. (Such a ludicrous notion, in an area with no prohibition against off-trail travel, anyway!) Since the initial week of confusion following the failure, none of the official USFS sites say any such thing, either. And not only is the author propagating officious rumor (lookin' at you, Stan!), but he then goes on to denigrate the entire community by casting us as a bunch of wanton rule/law-breakers.

Shame on Jamie Hale!

[retired jerry]

You talked to Jamie Hales? Did he respond?

"Plenty of hikers have flouted the closure and crossed the shallow creek without incident"

doesn't seem worthy of your response "And not only is the author propagating officious rumor (lookin' at you, Stan!), but he then goes on to denigrate the entire community by casting us as a bunch of wanton rule/law-breakers."

I can "read between the lines" and know just to be careful and ready to turn around

But, I am proud of being a wanton rule breaker

[Don Nelsen]

Hope I am wrong but given the current impassible state of the Eagle Creek Trail & continuing cold weather I can't see them making their March 1st Deadline. After this date they are not allowed to do anything for 6 months or more due to it being possible spotted owl habitat.

Guy, I agree, but in any event, I'm thinking of going up there tomorrow to check out conditions. I'll let you know what I find if I can get that far.

dn

Take lots of Photos and above all be careful Don!

Thanks Guy! I'll try to add to this series of comparison photos I took in Jan: Click on the first photo and you can scroll through the rest full size.

http://www.fototime.com/users/donnelsen ... an.%202017

dn

[kepPNW]

You talked to Jamie Hales? Did he respond?

Yep! Said...

I admit that my wording could have been different, but my information was accurate, and based on much more than hearsay. I’ve been talking with U.S. Forest Service officials at the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area since the beginning of the bridge issues, and they have reiterated time and time again that the trail is officially closed at the Tish Creek Bridge.

Doesn't matter how many times he may assert he's talked to them. They do not have that information on the authoritative source for this trail, where they in fact state:

Area Status: Open
Current Conditions: As of 8/24/2016 trail has been maintained.
Area/Length: 13.1 miles

No mention of Tish Creek on that entire website. No mention of a failed bridge on that page, much less its closure. As of last August, when the USFS apparently last felt motivated to update the page, the trail was posted as being open for at least the first 13.1 miles.

He also told me:

That message is also posted on signs at the trailhead.

Which is completely false as of my last three visits there (11/25/16, 12/31/16, 1/7/17). I believe they did post a sign, for perhaps a week or so, immediately following the bridge failure?

I can "read between the lines" and know just to be careful and ready to turn around

But, I am proud of being a wanton rule breaker

You? Shoot, this is my profile photo on Facebook right now!

• 

[retired jerry]

is that you breaking a rule?

I'm more into joking about breaking rules than doing it. And just rules that no one cares about.

I don't like to do things that annoy people, even if there isn't a rule against it

[kepPNW]

is that you breaking a rule?

That's me.

I'm more into joking about breaking rules than doing it. And just rules that no one cares about.

Stupid rules are another good category to flout.

I don't like to do things that annoy people, even if there isn't a rule against it

I don't often seek to annoy, but sometimes it's the only way to communicate.