Coastal Highway Reopens After Emergency Culvert Work on US-101

Bandon, Oregon- U.S. Highway 101 reopened Sunday afternoon after being closed nearly 40 hours for a culvert replacement about six miles south of Bandon, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The closure began at 9 p.m. Friday near Bearhead Mountain Lane, where crews removed a failing 24-inch pipe and installed an 11-foot culvert designed to handle high-water events. The original structure collapsed during a December storm that washed out the ground beneath the southbound lane.

Contractors placed the new pipe overnight Friday and rebuilt the roadway Saturday, reopening the highway at 12:20 p.m. Sunday — about eight hours ahead of schedule. Work will continue over the next two to three weeks as crews pave and stripe the road. Traffic will be limited to a single lane with delays of less than 20 minutes, ODOT said.

“We usually stage projects in a way that keeps our highways open to all travelers at all times,” ODOT District Manager Glen Pederson said. “But I think shortening the construction schedule will help reduce overall traffic impacts. And at a time when people are tightening belts, we thought it was best to keep costs down and save taxpayer dollars.”

The $1.25 million project used a rapid replacement approach to avoid building a temporary detour, which officials estimated could have added another $1 million and extended the project to six months. Instead, ODOT compressed the work into a six-week schedule that required the full closure for one weekend.

Prime contractor Farline Bridge Inc., working with K&B Quality Excavating, began advance work two weeks ago while keeping one lane open. “Farline Bridge deserves a lot of the credit for making this happen,” Pederson said.

All work is expected to be finished by mid-October. Drivers are advised to slow down over the rock surface until paving is complete.

Pederson thanked the public, emergency services and community partners for their cooperation. “I would want to thank everybody for understanding the need to get this project completed before this coming winter,” he said.

Additional information and construction photos are available on ODOT’s project website. Travelers can check http://www.TripCheck.com for the latest road and travel conditions.