Daytime closures on U.S. 101 at milepost 170.5 are complete. Travelers should expect flagging for the next several weeks as an emergency project to replace a failed retaining wall is finished. Crew recovered a drill rig from below the construction site on Saturday.
Travelers should expect delays for flagging in the area to continue into mid-March. Check TripCheck.com or call 5-1-1 for the current road status. While lengthy delays are not anticipated, they can occur on any construction project. The emergency repair came after a crack in the road was reported in January.
Monitoring found that it was becoming larger because the road’s original, historic retaining wall was failing and an immediate repair was required. The northbound lane is built on bedrock and is stable. The southbound lane was built on fill, which relies on the retaining wall to remain in place. A project to repair the section of road began Monday, Feb. 1. On Friday, Feb. 5, the northern half of the wall collapsed and a drill rig and operator fell about 150 feet to the rocks below. The operator is recovering.