The CHP is expanding the road closure, now to be from Highway 70 at Big Bend Road to the intersection of highways 70 and 89 in Plumas County. All other information remains the same.
December 1, 2012 - As a precaution and as a result of high river flows from recent and upcoming heavy rain storms, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has asked the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans to close a portion of Highway 70 for about four hours Saturday night, PG&E announced today. During the road closure, PG&E will open floodgates from three hydroelectric dams along the North Fork of the Feather River. The estimated time of the road closure is about 8 p.m. to midnight, but the time frame could be later.
Although the opening of the dam gates is not expected to increase the river levels as high as Highway 70, PG&E has asked the state to close the highway while operating the gates out of the abundance of caution. PG&E is requesting that Highway 70 be closed from about the Pulga Caltrans station on Highway 70 in Butte County to just east of the Rock Creek Reservoir in Plumas County, a distance of about 15 miles. During this time, PG&E will open gates on the Poe, Cresta and Rock Creek dams.
Highway 32 is an alternative route for travel between Butte and Plumas counties. For information on highway conditions, call Caltrans at 800-427-7623 or visit www.caltrans.ca.gov .
PG&E will keep the gates open during the storm runoff period to safely allow the water runoff to move through the river naturally. The dam gates at Poe, Cresta and Rock Creek Power dams are normally opened during significant high flow events such as this one.
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