Traffic drives on a gravel lane through U.S. 101 slide area – ODOT release – PORT ORFORD — One lane of U.S. Highway 101 is open to all traffic 12 miles south of Port Orford as of 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. The temporary gravel lane reopens the highway after a landslide closed it early Monday morning, Jan. 9, 2023. Crews will flag vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic through the temporary lane, which stretches about 200 yards through the collapsed section of U.S. 101. Travelers through the landslide area should expect delays, and please be careful near people and equipment. The temporary lane has no vehicle weight restrictions, and it can accommodate up to 14-foot-wide loads. Wider loads will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Tidewater Contractors, a local firm from Brookings, built the temporary lane this week using rock and gravel. “We thank Tidewater for their quick, efficient work,” said Glen Pederson, ODOT district manager. “As a local contractor, they understood how important it was to get the highway open for their communities.” Our staff will monitor the landslide for any more activity in the coming weeks, but the landslide has been stable since Tuesday. We may need to close the highway again with short notice if we detect further slide activity. We expect to open additional temporary gravel lanes through the slide over the next few weeks. Long term, we’re still determining a cost-effective way to repair the damaged section of highway.
