N. Oregon Coast's Highway 6: Why It Was Abruptly Closed for the Day This Weekend

Published 01/06/26 at 5:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Tillamook, Oregon) - This weekend, those heading to and from the Oregon coast via OR 6 were rather mortified – to say the least – to encounter a closed road. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was doing some major work that required all lanes to be shut down. Many had to simply head back and go another way. (Photos of weekend closure / ODOT)

It was a surprise closure. No announcement had come before Sunday's sudden flurry of construction. Now, ODOT is explaining it was another chunk of road that had come apart – completely unexpectedly to them. It was the only way to fix what was a new problem.

Mindy McCart, spokesperson for ODOT, said that recent storms had brought crews to multiple landslides and roadway failures across northwest Oregon and the Mid-Willamette Valley. One of the most significant of these was Highway 6 between Tillamook and Portland, about 10 miles west of Glenwood. There, near milepost 35, a sunken roadway had completely wrecked the highway.

“OR 6 was fully closed for much of the day on Dec. 19 while crews assessed damage and stabilized the area,” McCart told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “Later that day, the highway reopened to one lane of traffic with flaggers alternating traffic through the work zone.”

Since that time, they were able to keep Highway 6 open but restricted to one lane and with 24/7 flagging. Then, out of the blue, a new issue popped up early Sunday.

“While crews were working [Sunday], a new crack developed in the open lane,” McCart said. “For safety, crews temporarily closed the highway to address the issue and build a temporary lane.”

This meant some impromptu, major rebuilding. Indeed, early on in the closure they had announced the highway would likely be open again by the end of the day.

It was.

“By about 6:30 p.m., traffic was able to resume using that temporary lane,” McCart said. “Flagging and pilot car operations are now in place, with alternating traffic moving through the area at speeds below 15 mph. This setup will remain until more permanent repairs can be completed.”

McCart said ODOT was sharing updates as conditions changed through Flashalerts and TripCheck.

“Because this was emergency response work tied to storm damage, some closures and traffic changes had to be made quickly for safety,” she said.

Yet there is still much more work to be done on that road, and more shut-downs may be in store. Weather and Mother Nature are also the sizable wild cards here, with any major run of rain or storms another possibility.

Oregon Coast Highway 101 / Coast Range Traffic |

“At this time, there is no firm timeline for when full repairs will be finished, as conditions continue to change and crews need to work through unstable material,” McCart said.

In recent weeks, the nasty bump on Highway 26 gained much publicity as it spread out – in a sense - and created a wavy road of what were described as “speed bumps” on the roadway. That is also an ever-changing geologic issue that ODOT is having to chase.

Tillamook County Sheriff's Office said they have been seeing some motorists trying to bypass the construction by going through the woods. They said you should not attempt going by the gravel roads in the forests of Tillamook County.

“These attempts are unsafe, ineffective, and may result in people getting lost with no cell service,” the offic said. “Deputies are working with ODOT to get signs posted.”

 

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