For Immediate Release September 6, 2002	Contact: Neil Oliver (509) 395-3370 Linda Turner (360) 891-5008

Forest Road 23 Closes Monday
For Two Weeks Of Repair Work

VANCOUVER, WA –Forest Road 23 will be closed from September 9 through September 22, for replacement of a culvert, at milepost 33, between Randle and Trout Lake, Wash. This project, located about 23 miles north of Trout Lake, Wash. will last two weeks.

Forest Road 23 will be gated on the south end just north of the junction with Forest Road 90 and on the north end south of Forest Road 2334 (Council Lake Road). No detours will be available or signed. The High Lakes area, including Taklakh Lake, and the north side of Mt. Adams will only be accessible from Randle.

Forest Road 23 is a major north-south travel route through the Forest with as many as 150 vehicles traversing this road daily.

The cost to replace the vandalized culvert is estimated to be over $30,000. Work will be completed by the Forest road crew.

Visitors wanting to travel north to south through the Forest can still use Forest Roads 25, 90, Curly Creek and the Wind River Highway.

For additional information, call the Mt. Adams or Cowlitz Valley Ranger Districts at (509) 395-3400/(360) 497-1100, or check the Forest web site

Gifford Pinchot National Forest
06 September 2002