Manzanita Bridge Work Will Slow N. Oregon Coast Traffic Well Into October

Published 9/06/24 at 6:05 p.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Manzanita, Oregon) – One lane only will be the rule for awhile on the Necarney Creek Bridge near Manzanita, slowing down traffic greatly on this part of the north Oregon coast, after damage to the structure was discovered on August 29. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said actual repair and reconstruction work won't start until late in September, and there is as yet no estimate on when the work will be completed. (Photos courtesy ODOT)

“We will continue to flag traffic through one lane until repairs are completed,” ODOT said.

From now through at least into October, ODOT said you should plan for extra time on your trip down U.S 101 as you travel from Seaside / Cannon Beach into Oswald West State Park and to Wheeler, Nehalem and all points south. You will want to look at Tripcheck.com for current highway travel situations.

“We need to repair a section of concrete guardrail and sidewalk that collapsed on the northbound side of the bridge sometime Aug. 29,” ODOT said. “The steel guardrail, added in 2008 to improve safety, also was severely damaged.”

Oregon coast officials suspect someone hit that guard rail in the early morning hours of that day and did not report the incident.

ODOT asked that if you or anyone you know may have witnessed a vehicle colliding with the guardrail on U.S. 101 in Oswald West State Park, please contact Lt. Andy Hasenkamp at Oregon State Police Astoria Area Command at 503-318-9917.

The damage created many issues.

“We closed the bridge for about two hours Aug. 29 so that we could inspect the structure,” ODOT said. “We found it was safe to open one lane to traffic until repairs are finished.”

A resident of Tillamook was driving over the bridge about 4 p.m. when they noticed the damage. They reported it to ODOT, who then alerted the Manzanita Police Department and Oregon State Parks staff at Oswald West State Park.

“The police closed the lane of traffic next to the collapsed section immediately,” ODOT said. “By 4:30 p.m., we asked the police and Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office to close the bridge fully as a precaution until we could inspect it.”

Traffic was backed up for hours along the north Oregon coast.

“Because we inspect bridges regularly, we had an inspector on the coast who was able to visit the bridge and reopen one lane within about two hours,” ODOT said. “The northbound lane in the damaged section is unsafe for vehicles because of the abrupt edge and severely damaged guardrail.”

The bridge at Necarney Creek was built in 1937, with part of the original concrete guardrail sidewalk among the severely damaged sections that collapsed in the wreck. ODOT installed more modern tubular made of metal in 2008 to further enhance protection for vehicles.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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