The Oregon Department of Transportation has closed a four-mile section of U.S. Highway 101 between Yachats and Florence from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for up to a week beginning Wednesday morning so that a contractor can make emergency repairs to a section of the cliffside road that has given away.
On Monday the agency said the road would be shut down completely during the work. On Tuesday it said the contractor determined it was too dangerous to work at night, so the north lane will be open — with delays due to flagging operations — from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until the repairs are made.
The issue is a small section of a 95-year-old wall holding up the edge of the highway just south of Bob Creek, six miles south of Yachats. It was discovered failing in January, and a specialized contractor brought in last week to reinforce it.
But as drilling equipment operated by GeoStabilization International of Colorado was working Friday, the wall collapsed and sent the drill and its operator to the rocks 150 feet below. The operator was taken to Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence, treated for injuries and released.
The retaining wall — rocks and grout — that collapsed was part of the original highway construction project, said Angela Beers Seydel, an ODOT spokeswoman.
“It was getting more and more unstable and creating cracks in the road,” she said. “Then it just failed.”
ODOT has set up blockades at Cooks Chasm/Thor’s Well on Cape Perpetua in the north and at Tenmile Creek on the south, areas that have space for larger vehicles to turn around. The south blockade was originally at Sea Lion Caves, but ODOT moved it farther north Wednesday to allow more local traffic into the Tenmile area.
Local residents will have access beyond the closures, said Beers Seydel, but there will be no through traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..
The work – building a new wall, shoring up the cliff below and hauling up the drill rig – is expected to take 5-7 days.
When the road is closed during the day, crews will build a new retaining wall to hold the road in place. After the closure there will be access through the project area on a single lane with flaggers controlling traffic, but travelers should expected extended delays for an additional week.
Once the repair project is complete, the road will again be closed for several days for the drill rig to be recovered from the rocks below, using massive tow vehicles to haul the equipment up the cliff.
Until Wednesday the area around the work is down to one lane, controlled by flaggers.
ODOT said travelers should expect closures or extended delays in the area for the next few weeks. People can check to see when the highway reopens by going online to www.TripCheck.com or by calling 5-1-1 for the current road status.
ODOT will also place warning signs on U.S. 101 at Newport, Waldport and Florence, and on Oregon 126 in Florence and Veneta.
