Last week, a rockslide shut off access to a popular hot spring in the Willamette National Forest east of Eugene. There’s no timeline for when the road will re-open.
Officials say there’s no way to get to Terwilliger (or Cougar) Hotsprings) on Forest Road 19, also known as Aufderheide Drive. Jude McHugh is spokeswoman for the Willamette National Forest.
McHugh: “Right now it’s about 8,000 cubic yards laying on the road and that’s 800 dump trucks before we can get the road back open. First things first, we’ve got to make that hillside safe. The next thing we’ll do is clear the road. And then, before we let anybody back in there, we’ve got to make sure it’s a safe place to drive and visit.”
McHugh says Forest Service engineers and geologists went to the site this week to assess the rockslide. It’s on a section of road that’s been subject to rock fall in the past, but this one is unusually large. The public is advised to avoid Forest Road 19 until it’s declared safe by officials with the Willamette National Forest.
