PORTLAND, Ore. -- South Jetty rehabilitation will temporarily close the observation tower at Lot “C” at Fort Stevens State Park beginning April 19. Lot “C” and the bathrooms remain open for public access but the tower will be closed until further notice. Construction progress will determine the reopening date and a separate announcement will follow.
Heavy equipment performing federally-funded repairs near the tower poses a risk to public safety so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closing entry to it and to nearby dune trails, which lead to the jetty and beach.
The contractor repairing the jetty will install fencing and signage to communicate construction danger and permissible public access. As construction continues landward, the public will also lose access to the Oregon Coast Trail from Lot “C.” The public will be able to access the coastal trail through Lot “B.”
The Corps constructed the Mouth of the Columbia River jetty system between 1885 and 1939. The system consists of three rubble-mound jetties: North Jetty, South Jetty and Jetty A.
The jetties, which together total 9.7 miles in length, minimize navigation channel maintenance and make passage safer for vessels transiting between the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River.
Learn about the closures and the rehabilitation of the MCR jetties at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/jetties/. For questions about Fort Stevens State Park, visit https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=129.
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Release no. 21-018