Tillamook rushes to build bridge in 10 days as weather could divide the Oregon Coast
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Tillamook County is rushing to build a completely new bridge in 10 to 15 days after a washout on Miami Foley Road made Highway 101 the only direct route between Garibaldi and Mohler.
The county is racing against time as the existing stretch of Highway 101 between Tillamook and Cannon Beach is regularly shut down each winter by landslides and coastal flooding, Tillamook County Public Works Director Chris Laity told KOIN 6 News. Presently, a closure along the vulnerable stretch of Highway 101 could add two hours to the commute between Garibaldi and Manzanita as drivers would have to take a detour to the Highway 6 and Highway 26 interchange.
“[The bridge] is important to everybody because if Miami Foley Road and Highway 101 were to shut down, there is no route north-to-south on the Oregon coast,” Laity said. “You wouldn’t be able to get from Astoria to Tillamook without going to Portland.”
The washout on Miami Foley Road seen by Oregon resident Daniel Hopkins. (Photo courtesy of Daniel Hopkins) Miami Foley Road was washed out by flood water on Dec. 5, 2023 caused by a powerful atmospheric river. (County of Tillamook)
Tillamook’s highest flood levels since 2017 cause $2.5 million in road damages
The Tillamook County Board of Commissioners signed a disaster declaration Wednesday morning to speed up the contracting process for the bridge, which Laity said will be built out of steel piles and concrete. The county also asked Gov. Kotek to declare a State of Emergency in response to disastrous flooding that caused the damage.
The flooding, which caused at least $2.5 million in damage to county roads, officials say, was brought about by a powerful atmospheric river that passed over the region between Dec. 3 and Dec. 6.
The county plans to have the bridge built and the road reopened by Dec 21.
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