Beginning Wednesday a section of highway 101 between Florence and Yachats will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for up to two weeks.
Oregon Department of Transportation crews are building a retaining wall to shore up a shifting portion of road at milepost 170.5. The work was already underway on the wall, which is part of the original coastal highway. But, last Friday, the historic wall collapsed, according to ODOT spokesperson Angela Beers-Seydel.
“When the historic wall collapsed, the drill rig and its operator went down on the rocks about a hundred, a hundred and fifty feet below,” Beers-Seydel said. “Thankfully, he was quickly brought back up and is recovering from injuries and the work is continuing.”
The closure is between Sea Lion Caves and Cooks Chasm, where there is space for vehicles to turn around. Local traffic will be allowed access on both sides of the closures during the day.
Traffic will be flagged through the area between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
ODOT is placing road status information boards on highway 101 at Newport, Waldport, and Florence and on highway 126 in Florence and Veneta.
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