One lane of Highway 101 reopens after slide

A landslide early Wednesday morning closed U.S. Highway 101 in both directions five miles south of Cannon Beach. One lane was reopened with traffic flaggers by evening, but officials said it would take until at least Thursday to fully clear and reopen it.

Slides and snow also closed Interstate 5 at the Oregon-California border for a time at midday.

Officials said at midday Wednesday Highway 101 would remain closed until “at least the end of the day or possibly tomorrow (Thursday) to allow for scalers to remove loose rock and materials” from the slide area.

“The roadway will be opened only when it is safe for travelers,” the agency added.

Wednesday evening, ODOT said one lane had reopened, with two-way traffic controlled by flaggers. They said it could close again Thursday morning, when rock scalers return to finish their work. Motorists were urged to slow down and proceed with caution through the area.

Travelers needing to detour around the closure had been advised to use state Highway 53 (the Necanicum Highway) and U.S Highway 26 — but ODOT told motorists taking the detour to “factor in at least one hour of extra travel time.”

“Anyone traveling on Coast and Coast Range highways should be aware of slide dangers after record rainfall that has saturated soils,” ODOT said. “Travelers should drive with caution and be alert to downed trees, debris and other materials on these roadways.”

Meanwhile, Oregon State Police reported just after noon that Interstate 5 was closed at the California border due to rock slides and snow.

Traffic was being held in both directions, from milepost 14 to the California border.It reopened by mid-afternoon.

You can visit KTVZ.COM’s ODOT TripCheck page for the latest conditions, at: http://www.ktvz.com/weather/roads