Three seasonally-opened roads on the Marlinton/White Sulphur Ranger District did not open as scheduled on Sept. 1 due to June 2016 flood damage and repair work.
Specifically,
- Forest Road 24 (Gauley Mountain Road) remains closed from the gate just north of Sharp Knob to the end of the road on Gauley Mountain. Contractors are replacing culverts, repairing slope failures and resurfacing the road. FR 24 should open in early October 2017.
- Forest Road 461 (Purple Rhododendron Road) remains closed between the Highland Scenic Highway and Williams River Road. There is an unsafe crossing over a flood-damaged culvert that must be replaced. It is unlikely that this road will open this fall.
- Forest Road 719 complex (Buskirk/Sulphur Lick Roads) remain closed at State Route 92 to the end of these roads on Brushy Mountain. These roads are impassible due to a heavily-damaged bridge and fill-slope failures, where the road is sliding off the hillside. The Forest Service has partnered with the Federal Highways Administration, Eastern Federal Lands to complete this work as quickly as possible, but the damage is severe. It is unlikely that these roads will open for several years.
“We regret not being able to open these roads as scheduled; however, they received extensive damage during last year’s flooding event,” said Marlinton/White Sulphur District Ranger Cynthia Sandeno. “We are working to repair unstable crossings, replace culverts, and complete additional road reconditioning work to ensure safe passage for our forest visitors.”
For more information, please contact Angela Parrish, Flood Restoration Program Manager, at 304-799-4334 extension 16 or atparrish@fs.fed.us.
