Commissioners back gate, not full repair, for Butte Hill Road slide; county to expand geotech slide studies
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Summary
Staff recommended installing a forest‑style gate and restricting public access for Butte Hill Road after a slide, rather than funding a roughly $2 million repair for a road serving timberland with no residences.
County engineer Susan Eugenia briefed the board on a slide on Butte Hill Road at the request of Weyerhaeuser Timber Holdings. Staff estimate a full engineered repair in the neighborhood of $2 million; because the road currently serves commercial timberland with no residences, the county proposed installing a forest‑style gate that maintains landowner access while limiting general‑public traffic.
Commissioners generally supported the gate approach and did not elevate the repair to a high priority. Eugenia also outlined plans to expand geotechnical slide studies at other gravel and slide‑prone locations (studies run about $100,000–$150,000 each and typically include borings, inclinometers and 12–24 months of monitoring) to determine whether fixes are cost‑effective. One example—Klamath River Road at MP 13.5—has multiple slides; staff said the smallest corrective option there could cost roughly $2 million.
No formal motion to allocate repair funds was made; commissioners indicated they would add prioritized slide projects to the six‑year plan and fund studies as appropriate.