(New Tunnel, West Cascade | Photo courtesy of Sunriver Owners Association)
A tunnel that navigates under East Cascade Road into Fort Rock Park is slated for replacement and will close the road between Shamrock Lane and Fort Rock Road starting in early March.
Detour signage will be in place to reroute drivers around the project. The following includes the closures and detours of note:
- East Cascade will be fully closed to all thru traffic between Shamrock Lane and Fort Rock Road.
- Semitrailer traffic is prohibited on East Cascade Road beyond Circle 11 as there is no safe turn around.
- The pathways closest to the construction zone will be closed and detoured through the park.
- Fort Rock Park will remain open, but parking access may be limited or restricted.
Barring any weather delays, or other unknown factors, the tunnel is expected to be completed in mid-May. “We are looking to be done prior to Memorial Day holiday and the start of the summer season,” said Mark Smith, Sunriver Owners Association (SROA) Public Works director.
Installation of the original tunnels began in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s as Sunriver was built out. Initially constructed of corrugated metal, the narrow u-shaped tunnels only allowed for single-file traffic. The new tunnels are constructed of concrete and widened to allow two-way traffic for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The SROA is on schedule to replace at least one tunnel per year until all have been completed. The tunnel on West Cascade Road was the first to be replaced in 2019 — with 11 more to go. Funding for the tunnel replacement project is coming out of SROA’s capital replacement reserve.
Additional information, as available, will be posted to the SROA website at sunriverowners.org (under the Owners menu tab then Capital & Reserves Projects).
