Monongahela National Forest officials and project partners finalized plans recently during a pre-construction meeting for upcoming Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) projects under the Upper Greenbrier River (UGN) initiative. Construction is scheduled to break ground the week of July 20, 2026, at two key locations: the Forest Road (FR) 17 / Little River low-water crossing site and the FR 44 / Unnamed Tributary to West Fork Greenbrier River site (upstream from Elklick Run).
The upcoming work will affect motorized access for the public. A portion of FR44 and FR17 will be closed to through traffic from July 20th-August 21st, 2026. To minimize inconvenience to the public FR179 (Elklick) will be open starting the same day as the closure. Normally, FR179 does not open for motorized access until September 1.
The upcoming work includes the following project components and environmental coordination efforts:
• FR 17 Little River Site & Maintenance: In addition to new construction, partners identified necessary maintenance work at the previously installed AOP structure at the FR 17 lower crossing. Trout Unlimited (TU) intends to perform this maintenance concurrently while specialized equipment and personnel are already deployed nearby.
• Habitat Coordination: Project managers are actively coordinating associated instream work timelines and methodologies to ensure full protection of the endangered Candy Darter and its designated critical habitat.
• FR 44 Site Improvements: Excavation at the FR 44 unnamed tributary site is expected to generate a considerable amount of waste soil material. To maximize efficiency, project managers tentatively identified a beneficial-use opportunity to deposit the excess soil at the dispersed campsite immediately adjacent to the project.
• This waste-material strategy will allow crews to level the existing campsite ground. Once vegetation is fully re-established, the effort will result in significantly improved site conditions for forest visitors while reducing the environmental impact of hauling material offsite
Visitors are asked to respect all posted closures and avoid attempting to bypass the affected area. Updates will be shared on the Monongahela National Forest website and social media as new information becomes available.
