A contract worker was injured on Friday February 12th while working on an ODOT coastal project to repair Hwy. 101. The worker and a drill rig fell from the road when a retaining wall collapsed. The worker was transported with injuries. Their status is not currently known. The emergency repair to shore up an area where a failing historic wall is causing the ground to shift began Monday on Hwy. 101 south of Yachats near Strawberry Hill. ODOT is working with Geo-Stabilization International to stabilize the road, nine miles south of Cape Perpetua. The road cracked and sank because the containment wall was failing, and an immediate repair was required.
The northern portion of the wall collapsed on Friday as crews were working between the road and the wall to place 150 feet of micro-piling. Micro-piling involves placing two-inch metal poles into the bedrock and then filling the surrounding hole with concrete. This will shore up the road, keeping it from shifting. Repairs to the retaining wall itself will then be done, and guardrail replaced. The project began Monday and was anticipated to last 10 to 12 days. Traffic was already limited to one lane, controlled by flaggers 24 hours a day. Assessment and monitoring of the area is ongoing, but the project is expected to continue on schedule.
