Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon.gov Homepage

Wildfire Recovery

The Labor Day 2020 fires scarred Oregon. We’ve nearly completed our work to heal those wounds. 

The Debris Management Task Force is done with most of their cleanup tasks; ODOT crews are completing ours, building back the road system. With that work, roads re-open, homeowners and businesses rebuild, people come back to the woods, and rivers and the earth slowly recover.

Maintenance worker installs guardrail

Oregon 224

Oregon 224 above Estacada re-opened May 1 after crews completed the final cleanup needed to make the road safe after the Labor Day 2020 wildfires. Nineteen miles of Oregon 224 east of Estacada were closed after the devastating wildfires. 

Recovery work in the corridor will continue. This summer, visitors will encounter road closures of up to 20 minutes at varying locations, seven days a week, and will see trucks loaded with debris, rock scaling work and asphalt being repaired. 

What’s happening now

News includes:

  • Work is underway to re-seed with native plants to reduce weeds.
  • Pothole patching will continue this spring with paving of the damaged sections this summer when the weather warms up.

Oregon 138E52050970759_e457d54213_o.jpg

Safety and maintenance work will continue on OR 138E through September in the wake of the 2020 Archie Creek Fire. Travelers on OR 138E should expect daytime single lane closures, flagging and delays up to 20 minutes, Monday through Friday between Glide and Steamboat. Work will pause overnight and on weekends.

What's happening now

Rock scaling — where crews remove rocks, dirt and vegetation before they tumble into the road — is top of the to-do list. Work will continue through July.

Crews will also:

  • Remove hazard trees near the road.
  • Remove wood, rock and dirt debris from the side of the road.
  • Repave some road sections and repair potholes.
  • Replace faded lane and shoulder stripes.




Get More Information

Take a look at some frequently asked questions about the work we're doing. We'll update this document as information changes.

Sign up for email updates. Subscribe to our Highway 224 Wildfire Recovery Newsletter.

Have a question or a concern? Contact our Ask ODOT Office.

For forest recovery updates visit the Mt. Hood National Forest site.

Definitions

According to the U.S. Forest Service, a hazard tree is a tree that has a structural defect (burned, damaged or diseased) that makes it likely to fall or drop branches. 

Rock scaling, according to the Federal Highway Administration, is the process of removing loose or potentially unstable material (or a small section of slope) that might dislodge and/or fall.

Road damage: wildfire can damage the asphalt on a road. It can cause cracking, potholes, melting and in very intense heat asphalt can burn.