ODOT release – CHARLESTON – Construction on the Third Creek culvert replacement project has been postponed until next week. The project will require a one-week closure of Cape Arago Highway at milepost 5.7, near the Charleston Fire District station. That closure is now scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14. The postponement had been requested by prime contractor K&E Excavating, which is based in Salem, so their employees would have more time to protect their families and homes from wildfires. Due to the unpredictable nature of the fires, the construction schedule is still subject to change. ODOT will provide as much notice to the Charleston community as possible. During the highway 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 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.
