South Oregon Coast Highway 101 Reopens Ahead of Time - Between Bandon, Port Orford

Published 09/21/25 at 5:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Bandon, Oregon) - U.S. Highway 101 has reopened following a nearly 40-hour closure to replace a failed culvert near Bearhead Mountain Lane, approximately six miles south of Bandon. The southern Oregon coast highway was reopened at 12:20 p.m. Sunday, well ahead of the projected time by about eight hours.

The $1.25 million project replaced a 24-inch culvert that collapsed during a December storm, washing out the ground beneath the southbound lane. The new culvert, measuring 11 feet in diameter, is designed to better handle future high-water events.

ODOT opted for a rapid replacement strategy to avoid the high cost and logistical challenges of building a temporary detour, cutting down the total construction window from six months to six weeks. Yet it 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," said ODOT District Manager Glen Pederson. "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."

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ODOT staff estimated that constructing and removing a detour lane could have added another $1 million to the project cost.

Prime contractor Farline Bridge Inc. closed the highway at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, and immediately began work with K&B Quality Excavating to dig out the southbound lane. Crews installed the new pipe overnight and rebuilt the roadway Saturday. Pederson credited the contractor's preparation and speed.

Courtesy ODOT

"Farline Bridge deserves a lot of the credit for making this happen," he 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."

Many south Oregon coast businesses and organizations report not an enormous impact from the highway construction – which added some eight hours of driving time. However, some events in the region were hit by smaller numbers.

Although the highway is now open, drivers should expect single-lane travel through the work zone for the next two to three weeks while crews finish uppaving and striping. Flaggers will manage traffic, and delays are expected to remain under 20 minutes. Drivers are advised to slow down when traveling over the temporary rock surface.

All work is expected to be completed by mid-October.

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Pederson thanked the public for their cooperation.

"I would want to thank everybody for understanding the need to get this project completed before this coming winter," he said. "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."

For current road conditions, visit www.TripCheck.com or the Oregon Coast Traffic, Roads Condition page. See more project photos below

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