 U.S. 101 was reopened ahead of schedule at 12:20 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21, following a weekend closure of the highway about six miles south of Bandon. The highway will be limited to a single lane through the work zone for the next few weeks as the contractor finishes work.
NEWS RELEASE
U.S. 101 now open after 40-hour closure south of Bandon
Sept. 21, 2025
BANDON – U.S. 101 is now open. The highway had been closed nearly 40 hours to replace a failing culvert at Bearhead Mountain Lane, about six miles south of Bandon.
U.S. 101 will be limited to a single lane of travel through the work zone the next 2-3 weeks as contractors pave and stripe the roadway. Flaggers will provide traffic control and delays will be less than 20 minutes. Drivers are advised to slow down when traveling over the rock surface.
All work on the $1.25 million project is expected to be finished by the middle of October.
The original 24-inch culvert had failed during a storm last December, when much of the ground under the highway’s southbound lane was washed away. The new pipe measures 11 feet in diameter and can better accommodate high-water events.
ODOT chose a rapid replacement approach for the culvert project due to the difficult terrain and high cost of building a detour lane. This also reduced the total construction window from six months to six weeks but required the full closure of the highway for one weekend.
“We usually stage projects in a way that keeps our highways open to all travelers at all times,” ODOT District Manager Glen Pederson said. “But I think shortening the construction schedule will help reduce overall traffic impacts. And at a time when people are tightening belts, we thought it was best to keep costs down and save taxpayer dollars.”
ODOT staff estimated that building and removing a temporary detour lane could have added another $1 million to the total project cost.
Prime contractor Farline Bridge Inc. closed the highway at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19 and immediately began working with K&B Quality Excavating digging out the southbound lane. The contractor placed the new pipe in the middle of the night and rebuilt the roadway on Saturday. The highway was opened about eight hours ahead of schedule at 12:20 p.m. today.
“Farline Bridge deserves a lot of the credit for making this happen,” Pederson said. “They began work two weeks ago, while one lane was still open, and got everything in place so they could hit the ground running as soon as we closed the highway Friday night.”
ODOT began sharing plans for the closure with the public three months ago.
“I would want to thank everybody for understanding the need to get this project completed before this coming winter,” Pederson added.
“We’ve gotten a lot of help from our community partners, emergency services, and regular folks sharing our messages on their phones and social media. This was a group effort, and I want to thank everyone involved.”
Additional information and construction photos are available on the project website. For questions or comments about the project, contact ODOT Public Information Officer Dan Latham at 541-817-5200 or Dan.Latham@odot.oregon.gov.
Travelers can also visit www.TripCheck.com for the latest road and travel conditions.
Transportation funding
ODOT is experiencing a significant and immediate funding shortfall that is resulting in staff layoffs and reduced capacity across the agency. Without new revenue or flexibility in spending, ODOT is forced to make deep cuts and lay off hundreds of people to stay within its budget.
Some critical maintenance and preservation activities, like this one, will continue to ensure the safety of the transportation system. These efforts may still be delayed, take longer to complete, or be limited in scope due to reduced staffing and resources. We will continue to do everything possible to prioritize safety and minimize disruptions, but we ask for your understanding and patience as we work through these unprecedented constraints.
For more information on ODOT’s funding crisis, visit our website.
## ODOT ##
|
