Lane County closes North Jetty Road in Florence for parking lot rebuild

Lane County closed North Jetty Road in Florence, cutting off the stretch from Harbor Vista Road to the entrance of North Jetty Park and leaving drivers with no alternate route. The full shutdown affects anyone trying to reach North Jetty Park, North Jetty Dive Park, or nearby beach access points on the south end of Florence’s coast.

The closure runs from Tuesday, May 26, through Friday, Sept. 4, and Lane County said it is tied to rebuilding the parking lots for North Jetty Park and the dive park. For residents, day-trippers and summer visitors, the practical effect is simple: do not plan on using that road segment for through traffic during the peak recreation season.

North Jetty sits at the mouth of the Siuslaw River near Florence and is one of the county’s better-known coastal recreation spots. Lane County Parks says visitors use the site for diving, fishing, picnics, birdwatching and scenic strolls. The county also notes that a beach walk of about one mile north leads to Heceta Beach, making the area a jumping-off point for people moving between the river mouth and the open coast.

The long-term payoff is a better parking and access setup. Lane County describes the existing parking lot as rough and says the upgrade work will include paving, vault restrooms and new amenities. County materials said the project was expected to be completed by spring 2026, underscoring that the closure is part of a planned capital improvement rather than an emergency repair.

North Jetty’s dive access has its own local history. Public dive-site references say North Jetty Dive Park became an official dive park in 2003, after the old fish ladder was converted into a more user-friendly entrance. Lane County’s National Public Works Week tour materials also pointed to planned parking lot paving at North Jetty, showing the rebuild had already been folded into the county’s public works schedule.

Lane County Parks says its system spans 4,364 acres at 65 sites and provides access to fishable, swimmable and navigable rivers, lakes and ocean beaches across the county. At North Jetty, that network is temporarily cut off by a full closure that will shape how Florence-area residents and coastal visitors reach one of the county’s most familiar shoreline destinations all summer long.