'Bump' on Highway 26 to Oregon Coast Causing Damage, Hazards. Major Action Taken

Published 03/27/25 at 6:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – A particularly “gnarly” section of Highway 26 towards the coast has become worse in recent weeks, and it has even caused a few accidents as well as severe damage to vehicles. (Photos courtesy ODOT)

You could almost create a whole horror movie set in Oregon and call it “The Bump,” and many would know exactly the kind of fear that would induce. The Bump is at MP 13 on Highway 26, closing in on the north Oregon coast and junction of 26 and Highway 101. It's a crack and raised section of the pavement that causes vehicles to go airborne even at the posted speed limit of 25 mph.

Reports on social media abound, and three accidents in recent weeks have been attributed to the bump, which can send cars out of control. Even with warning signs well before the trouble spot, many drivers heading to Seaside or Cannon Beach say it's difficult to slow down in time. Yet going 25 mph is not enough: in order to avoid catching air. Most say you have to go well below that.

The bump has been caused by a landslide in the area, and it's doing something unusual to the roadway that doesn't happen much.

Mindy McCartt, a spokesman for ODOT, told Oregon Coast Beach Connection it's pushing upwards rather than dipping, as most slides do.

“The slide at MP 13 was first identified in 2022 and is unique in that it causes pavement to heave upward rather than sink - what our geologists refer to as an 'upside-down slide,' ” she said. “This location has been particularly active this year, with ground movement occurring mostly during our wet winters. Underground water pressure is pushing the pavement upward, creating sharp bumps in the road that require frequent maintenance.”

Indeed, ODOT began more intensive work on it Wednesday.

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“Starting at 7:30 a.m. today we will be removing about 100 feet of asphalt across all 4 lanes,” she said Wednesday. “There will be two lanes closed and two will be open at any given time.”

Angi Wildt, owner of Angi D Wildt Gallery in Astoria, called it “gnarly.”

“You literally need to slow down to maybe 5 miles an hour and creep over it,” she told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

Wildt narrowly escaped damage to the vehicle herself, but she's seen how others go wrong.

“I thought 20 mph would work and the back of the car felt like it floated, so probably airborne, it felt pretty dangerous,” she said. “You can't tell coming up on it. You see the signs, but if you are going too fast, you don't know how bad it is if you are unfamiliar. Most people think the signs are conservative, so 35 means 50, ya know? There needs to be a...'we're not playing around' sign attached to it.”

Video posted on social shows the driving horrors over and over, and every TV news station in the Portland area ran with varied such footage of their own.

ODOT has been exploring other options, including leaving the area as gravel for awhile to simply allow the groundwater to stop pooling up underneath. That's exactly what they're doing now.

McCartt said this solution is only temporary.

“Landslides are common throughout the Coast Range due to natural uplift and erosion, and most require only minor maintenance over time,” McCartt said.

This one, however, has been a bit of a monster. Like, say, The Blob.

ODOT has been monitoring closely with human eyes and remote sensors, along with periodic repairs. However, they are limited to gravel and cold asphalt in winter.

Groundwater is a sizable factor, and last summer ODOT installed drainage pipe along with $300,000 in other kinds of repairs. Since January 1 alone, they've spent about $100,000 in road work but the monster bump keeps punching back.

Travelers' cars simply bouncing back down on the downhill side creates enough pressure that it worsens the steepness of the fault before ODOT can correct it. More signage keeps going up, and TripCheck.com has a permanent spot displaying the traffic beast.

Now, it seems ODOT is putting its foot down and cutting to the chase with more immediate work – chasing the beast of a bump. ODOT said it will mean some traffic issues there, and you may want to take another route to the coast.

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