Maintenance will impact travel over Hells Canyon Dam Aug. 7–8
By Garrett Christensen on Monday, August 5th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
HELLS CANYON – (Release from Idaho Power) Travel over Hells Canyon Dam will be restricted Aug. 7–8 while Idaho Power crews use a crane to perform maintenance.
The road will be closed to all vehicle traffic from 7 a.m.–noon and from 1–4:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Wednesday, Aug. 7. One lane will be open to vehicles on Thursday, Aug. 8. However, motorists should prepare for delays of up to 30 minutes. Travelers headed to the U.S. Forest Service visitors center or the boat launch area below the dam will need to plan their trips around the scheduled closures.
Traffic flaggers will be on hand. Pedestrians will be allowed to cross when Idaho Power crews determine it is safe to do so. The crane will be moved to allow vehicle traffic to cross between noon and 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
The closure is necessary for crews to move stop logs — large beams used to control water flow through the dam.
Additional road restrictions are possible due to active fires in the area. Go to idahopower.com/whatsopen for current information.
Located 21 miles downstream of Oxbow Dam, Hells Canyon Dam is the third in the Hells Canyon Project. It began generating electricity in 1967 and has a generating capacity of more than 411,000 kilowatts, making it the second-largest of Idaho Power’s 17 hydropower facilities.
