Bentz Bill Would Help Prineville's Juniper Canyon Get Emergency Access Road - The Source

Federal legislation introduced in Congress could be the first step toward building a second road to access a High Desert canyon south of Prineville, where a growing number of residents have expressed concerns about emergency access, particularly in a wildfire.

U.S. Rep Cliff Bentz, who represents Oregon’s 2^nd Congressional District across eastern and southern Oregon, introduced a bill May 21 to give Crook County an 80-foot right of way across federal land in the Juniper Canyon area. That could pave the way for the County to build a new public access road linking the canyon’s main route to State Route 380, also known as the Paulina Highway.

But the legislative push comes as money for road construction across Crook County dries up, leaving questions about how future projects will be funded.

Residents in Juniper Canyon rely on a sole access route, Juniper Canyon Road, which starts in Prineville and leads 13 miles south before ending at Prineville Reservoir. For years, they’ve expressed concerns that the road would be inadequate during a wildfire evacuation scenario or other emergency, said Seth Crawford, Crook County commissioner. Crawford told the Source this is the first time the County has pursued federal legislation to address the problem.

“There’s only one entrance and one exit, and it’s the same,” Crawford told the Source. “For quite a few years people up there have been concerned about fire issues, or if there’s multiple accidents or an accident at the wrong location that would block the road entirely, they’d really like to have a second access out of there.”

Bentz’s office announced the legislation in a press release on June 1. The bill, H.R. 8958, was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

“Central and Eastern Oregon communities continue to face growing wildfire threats and increasing concerns about emergency access,” Bentz said in the press release. “This legislation gives Crook County the ability to create an essential evacuation route, strengthen firefighter access, and establish strategically located fire safe zones that can help protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure during wildfire events.”

Last summer, the Highland Fire in Juniper Canyon burned more than 700 acres and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes.

More evacuation options are usually better when it comes to emergency response, said Russ Deboot, fire marshal with Crook County Fire & Rescue. But the biggest thing people can do to prepare for wildfire is to create defensible space by removing vegetation and flammable materials from the area around homes, he said.

No funding for construction

According to Crawford, the easement proposed in Bentz’s bill stretches about 8 miles across land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The bill would also transfer four other 40-acre BLM parcels in the area to County ownership, for emergency response purposes including wildfire breaks and staging areas.

Crook County’s October 2025 Transportation System Plan outlines three potential road capacity projects for Juniper Canyon, including a new gravel roadway connecting to Highway 380 for emergency evacuation. That could cost anywhere from $24 million to $52 million, according to the plan. The plan also includes projects to widen Juniper Canyon Road and build another road out of the canyon to the west connecting to State Route 27.

Together, those three projects could cost between $41 million and $89 million. They’re all listed as a “near-term” priority for the next five years.

But the plan also notes that the County does not expect to have funding for future construction projects. As revenues from the state’s gas tax dwindle, the plan notes the County may have to turn to local sources such as new fees on residents’ utility bills, registration fees or development fees. It also notes state and federal grant programs that could yield future funding.

Crawford told the Source he plans to pursue grant funding to pay for the Juniper Canyon access road. The Crook County Commission hasn’t started discussions about future local funding sources, he said.