Very early Monday morning, January 9th, the Oregon Department of Transportation closed a section of Highway 101 north of Ophir, before Prehistoric Gardens approximately 12 miles south of Port Orford, after a over 200 yard segment of Highway 101 dropped several feet beneath the original road surface and continued to slowly slide throughout the day.
The Oregon Department of Transportation stated that the area was part of an already-active landslide originally observed by crews one week earlier, on Monday, January 2nd, when crews repaired large cracks that had formed on the pavement.
According to Oregon Department of Transportation officials, the cracks were believed to patched, however, a hole developed in the northbound lanes, and a lane closure with 24-hour flagging was implemented.
After the area has stopped moving, engineers will assess the slide areas conditions before a plan can be developed to temporarily reopen a passable road through the slide area.
Hwy. 101 remains closed with no estimates for reopening at this time.
