In January, a crack in southbound Hwy. 101 just south of Yachats was reported. Monitoring found that it was becoming larger because the containment wall was failing and an immediate repair was required.
A project to repair the section of road held in place by a historic retaining wall began Monday, February 1st. Just four days later, Friday, Feb. 5, the northern half of the wall collapsed and a drill rig and operator fell approximately 150 feet to the rocks below. The operator sustained minor injuries.
On Saturday, February 27th, crews recovered the 28-ton drill rig from the rocky shore below, where it lay for almost an entire month as planning and preparation were put in place to retrieve the enormous piece of construction equipment.
Hwy. 101 travelers should expect delays and single lane flagged traffic for the next several weeks while repairs are completed just south of Yachats.
