WSDOT opens both lanes of SR 101 near Astoria bridge

At 5 p.m. Friday, March 26, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crews reopened both lanes of US 101 at milepost 1.2, just north of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, following emergency culvert replacement work. Travelers should plan for daytime delays with single lane closures Monday, March 29 through Friday, April 2, while crews install roadway markings and perform site restoration work. The work is weather dependent.

Both lanes of US 101 just north of the Astoria-Megler Bridge now OPEN following emergency culvert replacement

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While crews wrap up construction by installing roadway markings and performing site restoration work, travelers should plan for daytime delays with single lane closures Monday, March 29 through Friday, April 2.

Work to replace a failing culvert under US 101 at milepost 1.2, just north of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, began Monday, March 8. On Monday, Feb. 16, after several days of heavy seasonal rainstorms and harsh winter weather swept through Pacific County, WSDOT maintenance crews discovered that the concrete culvert that runs underneath the highway had begun to fail, causing a portion of the road to give way and sink.

Upon inspection, crews determined that the drainage system became overloaded, causing two separate sections in each shoulder to collapse under the highway. To keep travelers safe, crews closed a single lane of the road until permanent repairs could be made.

“During the most recent winter storms, our maintenance crews were working around-the-clock to keep the roads and highways open and safe for travelers,” said Project Engineer Joanna Lowrey in a Friday news release. “We realize that it’s never ideal to close a lane of the highway, especially when there’s only two lanes for travel. In this instance, a single lane closure is the best way traffic can continue to use the stretch of highway safely, until crews can replace the culvert.”