08/13/2025
Just a little something to be aware of when coming to the coast in September.
U.S. 101 (Oregon Coast Highway) will be closed between Bandon and Port Orford for one weekend in late September to replace a culvert deep under the highway in difficult terrain.
The work zone is located at Bearhead Mountain Lane, about six miles south of Bandon. The closure of U.S. 101 is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19, and the highway is expected to reopen late Sunday night, Sept. 21.
There are no local road connections around the work zone. The only available detour is a lengthy drive along U.S. 199 (Redwood Highway), Interstate 5 and Oregon 42 (Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway).
While the highway is closed, contractors will dig down more than 20 feet to remove the failing pipe and install a larger culvert. The work zone is sandwiched between a steep slope on one side of the highway, wetlands on the other and a stream that snakes its way in between.
In most circumstances, ODOT attempts to stage projects in a way that keeps highways open to all traffic at all times. However, that would require a single-lane bypass to be constructed either through a hillside or over wetlands, relocating the stream while adding more cost to the project and disrupting highway traffic for about six months.
The total construction window for this project will likely extend about 4-6 weeks, with about 2-3 weeks of single-lane closures before and after the weekend full closure of the highway.
The rapid replacement approach is expected to save more than $1 million from the total cost of the project while reducing overall traffic impacts.
For more information, visit the project website (https://www.oregon.gov/.../pages/project-details.aspx...) or contact ODOT Public Information Office Dan Latham at 541-817-5200 or [email protected].
