Brinnon: Dosewallips Road will be repaired, reopened, Forest Service says

BRINNON — The U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday that it will fix washed-out Dosewallips Road that leads to two campgrounds and several trailheads in the eastern Olympics high country.

The decision drew praise among Brinnon townsfolk, but an opposition group said it will appeal the plan.

More than 300 feet of the road was undermined by the Dosewallips River 10 miles west of U.S. Highway 101 in January 2002.

It will cost about $556,000 to construct the gravel road, Forest Supervisor Dale Hom wrote in his decision to proceed.

The Olympic National Forest road, designated Forest Road 2610, leads to the Elkhorn campground and the Olympic National Park Dosewallips campground and ranger station.

About four acres of trees will be cleared atop a hill overlooking the washout site for the new road path.

Reconstruction at the washout site was ruled out last year after Forest Service biologists deemed such action would violate the agency’s rules for development along rivers.

The new road will travel at an 8 percent to 10 percent grade in places.

Unlike a previous plan to go over the hill, the plan approved Tuesday cuts a larger swath through the forest to go along more moderate inclines, District Ranger David Craig said Tuesday.

The idea is to allow cars that traveled the old road to still be able to reach the campground, he said.

About 220 trees greater than 21 inches in diameter at the trunk would be cut, Hom said. Any trees suitable for Native American tribal use or aquatic habitat restoration would be donated for those purposes, he added.

The new road will start about one-quarter mile east of the washout and catch back up to the road just past the damage, Craig said.

The bypass around the washout will avoid an unnamed salmon creek that would have been disturbed in the previous plan.

The washed out area has grown since the river claimed the road more than two years ago. Erosion has all but eliminated a strip of earth next to the river that backcountry hikers used to cross the washout.

More in News

A mud slide brought trees down onto power lines on Marine Drive just each of the intersection with Hill Street on Monday. City of Port Angeles crews responded and restored power quickly. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Downed trees

A mud slide brought trees down onto power lines on Marine Drive… Continue reading

Photographers John Gussman, left, and Becky Stinnett contributed their work to Clallam Transit System’s four wrapped buses that feature wildlife and landscapes on the Olympic Peninsula. The project was created to promote tourism and celebrate the beauty of the area. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Iconic Peninsula images wrap Clallam Transit buses

Photographers’ scenes encompass community pride

Housing identified as a top priority

Childcare infrastructure another Clallam concern

Giant ornaments will be lit during the Festival of Trees opening ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday. (Olympic Medical Center Foundation)
Opening ceremony set for Festival of Trees

‘White Christmas’ to be performed in English, S’Klallam

Olympia oyster project receives more funding

Discovery Bay substrate to receive more shells

Code Enforcement Officer Derek Miller, left, watches Detective Trevor Dropp operate a DJI Matrice 30T drone  outside the Port Angeles Police Department. (Port Angeles Police Department)
Drones serve as multi-purpose tools for law enforcement

Agencies use equipment for many tasks, including search and rescue

Sequim Heritage House was built from 1922-24 by Angus Hay, former owner of the Sequim Press, and the home has had five owners in its 100 years of existence. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim’s Heritage House celebrates centennial

Owner hosts open house with family, friends

Haller Foundation awards $350K in grants

More than 50 groups recently received funding from a… Continue reading

Operations scheduled at Bentinck range this week

The land-based demolition range at Bentinck Island will be… Continue reading

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

Jefferson County lodging tax committee to meet

The Jefferson County Lodging Tax Advisory Committee will discuss… Continue reading

Restrictions lifted on left-turns near Hood Canal bridge

The state Department of Transportation lifted left-turn restrictions from… Continue reading