By Ty Walker
The Mountain Times
It’s been more than two years since a landslide took out large pieces of Barlow Trail Road, closing the historic roadway to travelers. Clackamas County is preparing to launch the construction phase of the road stabilization and repair project in May.
Clackamas County has selected a contractor for the $1.65 million project, completed design work, obtained permits, and received ODOT environmental approval. Elk Mountain Construction of Sandy was awarded the contract.
The construction phase is expected to run May through June with Barlow Trail Road reopening to public traffic in July, according to Clackamas County Community Relations Specialist Cameron Ruen.
“Folks in the area have been asking when it’s going to be open and we’re happy to say construction will be happening soon,” Ruen said.
Clackamas County closed the road on January 6, 2022, after the landslide near Barlow Trail Road Bridge at milepost 1.65. The landslide closure is 200 feet west of Brightwood Bridge Road, between E. Boulder Creek Lane and Brightwood Bridge Road. The road will remain closed until the repairs are complete. Drivers will be detoured around the site until then.
The $1.65 million project will stabilize the landslide and repair the road to make it safe for travelers. A Federal Highway Administration grant and matching county road funds will pay for the project.
Clackamas County Project Manager Stan Monte detailed the funding in an email:
“Clackamas County will complete the work as a Supplemental Project under the county’s Local Agency Certification Program established through an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) which administers the Federal Emergency Relief Program (ERP) funds in Oregon. This project will be financed with 89.73 percent of ERP funds (up to $1,502,213.97) matched by 10.27 percent (up to $157,056.03) of county road funds.
“The project is eligible to receive up to $130,000 of additional funding for emergency repair work, which is not subject to a County match. The emergency repair work would include the initial response, redirecting or returning the surface water flows back into the ditches, initial cleanup, erosion control measures and setting up the temporary road closure.”
Barlow Trail Road is a historic road built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster. It served as the last overland segment of the Oregon Trail.