ELKINS, W.Va. — Trout fishermen who enjoy the Williams River have endured several years of frustration. Williams River Road, the route which parallels much of the waterway, has been closed in some places for several years with no repair in site.
However, that is expected to change during 2019. This week, the U.S. Forest Service announced the road has reopened to vehicles from the Tea Creek Campground to Three Forks Bridge.
The section from Three Forks Bridge to Spice Run remains closed however due to continued problems with the White Oak Crossing.
The road was heavily damaged like so many other West Virginia byways during the 2016 flood. Since then the repairs have not gone well.
“The Forest has been doing temporary repairs to keep the road open as much as possible,” said Kelley Bridges, Spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service in Elkins. ” Almost every year then, we’ve had some flooding events, not as severe, but still enough to cause additional damage. We’re constantly fighting nature to keep that road open.”
Work to permanently repair the road will be done by the Federal Highway Administration. The next step will be to order and install a new bridge at the White Oak Crossing. The timeline calls for the installation by June 1.
“All of that is weather dependent, but at that point the entire road will at least be open and and the Federal Highways Administration will start making permanent repairs,” said Bridges.