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A landslide at about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 29 closed US 30 about 20 miles east of Astoria. Photo by ODOT
U.S. 30 closed for landslide repair
U.S. 30 is closed through Wednesday, Nov. 30, and possibly longer following a major landslide Tuesday night about 20 miles east of Astoria.
If you plan to travel between the Portland Metro Area and the Northern Oregon Coast this week, use an alternate route. U.S. 26 is the best alternative. OR 47 and 202 are an option for passenger vehicles, but OR 47 has length restrictions on commercial vehicles.
Please do not use your GPS to detour on less developed roads. This can be dangerous for you, especially in these severe weather conditions.
Heavy rainfall is a suspected cause of Tuesday night’s landslide. At least 10 truckloads of rock and mud slid onto both lanes of the highway about 10:30 p.m. Material still is sliding down from the hillside.
This section of US 30 crosses an area where landslides have long been part of the geology, often triggered by heavy rainfall. So this part of the road has long had landslide warning signs.
To reopen the highway, we need to clear the large amount of material and make sure the highway is safe for travelers.
We are:
- Clearing debris on the travel lanes
- Clearing space along the hillside to catch any addition rocks, mud, and debris
- Repair any damage to the road surface, guard rail and signs
- Possibly set up a temporary barrier to catch material
- Possibly set up temporary travel lanes providing safe distance for drivers
Emergency cleanup will begin Wednesday. After that, our safety engineers and geologist will make sure the highway is safe to reopen. We have no estimated time for that, but it is likely to be no sooner than Thursday.
Remember to check Tripcheck.com for updates on road and weather conditions in Oregon.
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