Road to Golden & Silver Falls Open Again, Sept. 15

Coos County is pleased to announce that the road to Golden and Silver Falls has been reopened effective September 14, 2016. Visitors to the park will again have motorized access to the parking lot area. The road had been closed since April of 2014 due to a slide that caused extensive damage and made the road all but impassable for vehicle traffic. Coos County is one of Oregon’s hardest hit economic counties and has suffered greatly from reduced timber harvests. Consequently, there is not a lot of extra money to fix roads that are not heavily travelled. Coos County Roadmaster John Rowe worked together with Coos Bay Timber Operators owner David Gould, former County Commissioner Gordon Ross, Coos County Surveyor Mike Dado, and Weyerhaeuser Corporation to make needed repairs to the roadway and restore access for the public. The road was closed entirely on September 6 – 14 to allow the County to brush the lane, rock the slide area, and stabilize the disturbed areas. Coos Bay Timber Operators excavated the side slope and cleaned up the debris, and added improvements to minimize the chance of future slides. Special thanks go to Weyerhaeuser Corporation for allowing access from their property while this project was ongoing. “This project just proves how much we can do when we work together,” stated Board of Commissioners Chair John Sweet. “This partnership was the brainchild of former Commissioner Gordon Ross, who came to us and was very concerned about veterans, elderly, and disabled citizens having access to this beautiful park. He knew that there must be a way to get this project done, and he is to be commended for his determination to see the road reopened.” The road is open to the public effective September 14, 2016.