A popular 6-mile stretch of the Historic Columbia River Highway will remain closed indefinitely, Oregon transportation officials said Thursday, nearly a year after the Eagle Creek fire ripped through the area.

The Oregon Department of Transportation had hoped to open the highway between Bridal Veil and Ainsworth State Park sometime this fall, but spokesman Dave Thompson said that possibility is off the table due to "almost continuous" rockslides in the area.

New rockslides near Oneonta and Horsetail falls in the heavily trekked waterfall corridor derailed the plan to reopen the highway. The road has been closed since Sept 4, 2017, two days after the Eagle Creek fire.

"This setback is aa real disappointment to us," said Rian Windsheimer, the state transportation agency's regional manager for the Portland area. "Our crews have been working hard to get these areas cleared," he said in a statement. "But there's plenty to do before we can safety reopen the road."

Thompson said the rockslides that occurred recently have been "almost continuous." Rather than massive landslides, the events are a "little dribble" that never stops, he said.

According to a release, the most recent rockslides last month came from higher up on the hillside overlooking the highway and they have spilled debris across hiking trails and parts of the highway.

The state had planned to reopen the 6-mile stretch of the historic two-lane road in phases this fall, with eastbound traffic for vehicular traffic and the westbound lane dedicated to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Officials planned to analyze traffic flows and parking in the area to see if one-way car traffic would address congestion and safety concerns during the region's busy season.

"Those plans are now being reassessed," the state said in a statement.

It's unclear if the highway will reopen this year.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen