Highway 101 open to traffic south of Newport | Transportation

From ODOT

Two-way traffic has been restored on U.S. 101, four-and-a-half miles south of Newport, where the highway foundation that had given way during last week’s powerful storm.

On  Wednesday, January 18, after experiencing hurricane force winds and near record rainfall, the foundation under the southbound lane of US 101 at milepost 144.5 gave way, leaving the pavement partially unsupported.

ODOT took immediate steps to protect the safety of the public by closing the southbound lane and directing all traffic onto the northbound lane, under the control of flaggers.

ODOT brought in environmental and geotechnical experts who, along with experienced maintenance personnel, began formulating a plan for rebuilding the highway as quickly as possible.

An emergency was declared for the construction project, allowing an expedited procurement process to hire a contractor by Friday.

W-W Construction of Newport acted quickly, mobilizing Friday, and beginning construction by Saturday.  In three days of construction, the contractor had successfully:

---Stabilized a landslide at the location ---Cleared a creek bed and culvert ---Excavated and rebuilt the highway foundation 45-feet in depth and 80-feet in length ---Paved the newly constructed segment of highway ---Placed reflective markers on the fog line and center line "By moving fast, we were able to avoid losing more of the highway foundation and avoid having to close the highway completely," said District 4 Manager, Joe Squire.

"We salute the quick work of the contractor to help us restore the highway to full function," Squire said.

Weather conditions will prevent final striping of the highway but reflectors will be used as a temporary measure.  Until final striping can occur, motorists are asked use caution while traveling through the area.