QUINCY, CA — Following a recent accident and damage to a road construction site, engineers on the Plumas National Forest are reminding area residents and visitors to not travel on closed roads and to use extreme caution driving on Forest roads, especially in areas affected by wildfire.
This week a vehicle ended up stuck after driving on a closed road and dropping into an excavated section where the road is being repaired.
This was the second vehicle in recent days that drove through this road construction site. The first vehicle managed to successfully get out without assistance, but did substantial damage to the welded wire mat that had already been placed.
Early estimates from Forest engineers is as much as $5,000 of damage was done to materials at the site as a result of this. Road construction operations also had to stop as a result until the vehicle was removed and materials could be assessed and replaced.
“This occurred on a road that has a forest closure, a road closed sign, k-rail barricades and boulders placed in the road, all of which these individuals had to drive around,” said Plumas National Forest Engineer Jonathan Berry. “These roads are closed for public safety because of situations like this, where road repairs and reconstruction can involve removing segments of the road, or where equipment is operating and blocking the road, and there aren’t safe places to turn around.”
There were no reported injuries, but the car was left at the site by the driver and needed to be removed.
“The damage to the construction materials and impacts to the time of our contractors and employees in situations like this are expensive and further delay being able to open the road for everyone,” Berry said.
There are several road repair and construction projects across the Plumas National Forest this summer. If a road is signed as closed, it is not safe to enter and an alternate route should be used.
Area residents and visitors also need to use extreme caution or avoid traveling on Forest roads in areas burned by wildfires in the past 5 years.
Weather including wind and precipitation can cause trees to fall across roads suddenly and block access or damage vehicles. Heavy rains in these areas can also cause landslides which can impact roads.