Massive 101 slide moving at 2 feet an hour

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2019-02-28

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A massive slide that closed Highway 101 Monday 12 miles north of Brookings is moving at a rate of nearly 2 feet an hour, Oregon Department of Transportation officials say. Until the Hooskanadan slide stops moving, work cannot begin to repair it, they said. The stretch of roadway that has split and buckled measures between .75 and .8 of a mile, ODOT said. Traffic is being detoured to Carpenterville Highway, a narrow, winding road with gravel areas, steep grades and an elevation change of 1,700 feet. Some size restrictions have been imposed for semitrucks and trailers. Motor carrier enforcement officials are checking traffic on both sides of the slide. Officials urged residents to avoid travel between Brookings and Gold Beach whenever possible until the slide is fixed. Reports first came in Monday morning of the road surface sinking approximately 2 feet below grade. Within 24 hours, that gap had widened to more than 12 feet, according to Curry County Emergency Services. The active movement is on the ground both above and below the slide. Residents should be prepared to cope with the highway closure as a long-term event, officials said.