Travel over Hells Canyon Dam restricted July 18 and July 22

By Joe Hathaway on Monday, July 15th, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon Top Stories

BAKER COUNTY — Travel over Hells Canyon Dam will be restricted July 18 and 22 while Idaho Power crews use a large crane to perform maintenance.

The road will be closed to all vehicle traffic from 8 a.m.–noon and from 1–4:30pm Mountain Time on both days. 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 1pm.

The closure is necessary for crews to move stop logs — large beams used to control water flow through the dam.

Any schedule changes will be posted at idahopower.com/whatsopen.

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.