Pongratz Road is expected to reopen Tuesday, November 23, the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation said.
In an email to the Banks Post, Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation spokesperson Heather Sturgill said that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the road would open Tuesday, following installation of a guardrail Friday, Nov. 19. November 22 and 23 should see rock added to the shoulders and general clean up done before the road is reopened.
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A small stretch of Pongratz Road was paved as part of the project, Sturgill said, noting that while the majority of the road will remain a gravel surface, work to pave the bridge and the approaches to the bridge was completed Wednesday, November 17.
A nearby project to replace a failing culvert where Mendenhall Creek passes under Highway 26 with a bridge was originally scheduled to begin the summer of 2021, but was postponed until 2022.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.