Cape Arago Highway closure postponed until Thursday morning, Sept. 9

CHARLESTON – The one-week closure of Cape Arago Highway that had been scheduled to start Wednesday morning will be postponed 24-hours. The closure affects a short section of highway at Third Creek (milepost 5.3), near the Charleston Fire District Station. It is now scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10. During the closure, local traffic will detour one mile along Grinnell Lane, Penny Road and Kellogg Lane. This is a residential area, with a speed limit of 25 mph, and motorists are advised to drive slowly and with caution. Flaggers will provide traffic control. Motorists traveling between Charleston and downtown Coos Bay can also use Libby Lane. The schedule change was requested by prime contractor K&E Excavating, which is based in the Salem area. Some of their staff have been affected by this week’s wildfires, and the postponement will give their employees time to protect their families and secure their homes. The existing two-foot-diameter culvert at Third Creek is frequently blocked, which leads to flooding in the surrounding area. It will be replaced with a five-foot-wide pipe that provides better drainage. When the highway reopens the following week, motorists should watch for intermittent lane and shoulder closures for several days. All work on the $360,000 project is scheduled to be completed by the end of September. For more information contact ODOT Public Information Officer Dan Latham at 541-817-5200 or Dan.Latham@odot.state.or.us.