Hwy. 101 Repaired North of Gold Beach, Dec. 29

Tidewater Contractors wrapped up replacement of a washed out culvert on U.S. 101 at Ophir, about 10 miles north of Gold Beach Saturday, Dec. 27. The highway sank on the afternoon of Dec. 21, causing ODOT to detour Oregon Coast Highway traffic to Ophir Road. Tidewater installed six new, 20-foot sections of 36-inch galvanized pipe 20 feet below the highway surface. The contractor then placed more than 1,000 cubic yards of fill material into the hole, a roughly 30-foot section of the Oregon Coast Highway that washed away when the culvert failed. Continued rain and high tides in the estuary proved to be a challenge for the repair project, which is currently estimated to exceed $100,000. “It will be great to get the Ophir culvert fixed,” said Darrin Neavoll, ODOT District Manager, “but that’s not the end of our work. Our south coast maintenance crew is busy tackling other sinks, slides and other storm-related damage in Curry County.”