Oregon Department of Transportation has been deepening a drainage ditch at the side of U.S. Highway 199 approximately 4 miles north of Patrick Creek in Del Norte County. This location regularly sees running water flowing over the highway during rain events, and this work is intended to prevent that from happening.
Crews were using explosives during the day on Tuesday, causing significant delays on Highway 199.
Crews will be using explosives, and use of explosives within 50′ of the roadway requires a full closure of the highway. U.S. Highway 199 will be closed for approximately 30 minutes sometime between noon and 2 p.m. The closure time is dependent on how long it takes to drill holes to load the charges, so a more specific time frame is difficult to provide.
If you plan on driving U.S. Highway 199 today, anticipate delays in the early afternoon.
UPDATE: Blasting has been completed; no further closures of the roadway are anticipated in relation to today’s blasting activity.