After a landslide forced the closure of part of Middle Fork Road (MFR) in mid-December, King County warned it could be mid-summer before the severely damaged section was repaired.
Middle Fork Road is the main access into some popular Washington State DNR outdoor recreation lands near North Bend, with the closure located about 9 miles northeast of the Mailbox Peak trailhead.
On December 20th, torrential rain caused the stream atop the hillside adjacent Middle Fork Road to push over its banks and forge a new path. The fast-moving water triggered land to slide above and underneath the recently-paved Middle Fork Road that had opened in 2017 after four years of construction.
But here’s some good news – on Monday, May 11th, King County Roads said repairs were completed that have allowed them to reopen Middle Fork Road.
The reopening also coincides with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reopening its lands [on May 5th] to outdoor enthusiasts after being closed for for six weeks due to the COVID-19 statewide stay home order.
Note: According to US Forest Service I-9 Corridor Manager Alex Weinberg, Forest Service developed recreation sites in the Middle Fork area remain closed, which means campgrounds and trailheads are also still closed.
Those heading to the outdoors to recreate are asked to practice social distancing, bring all food and safe equipment needed and to leave no trace when leaving.
Comments
That’s strange. I was on that road this past weekend and it was open. Before Monday.
“Repairs are complete”. Really? Of note, there are two sections of gravel road, and 2 large temporary culverts under the road which create two large dips. Cyclists with puncture prone tires can’t go beyond the “fix” point without walking their bikes.
Good! Don’t ride your silly street bike back into the deep
wilderness!
really,do you walk in?
Bummer, it was nice have that road closed off to cars. It’s a great ride, made a little less great with cars passing by.
Hope we can drive a bit more freely. You had your time. Tit for tat! Thanks. Locals.. we totally avoid Summer and week end craziness. And we pick up week end trash left behind. Just a note.. it really sucks.