The Necarney Creek Bridge along Highway 101 will continue with one lane traffic into next week after Thursday’s partial collapse left the bridge’s guardrails and sidewalk significantly damaged.
“It’s not structural damage to the structural holding of the bridge, but the guardrail that prevents a vehicle from going off the bridge if they lose control of the car," said David House, Oregon Department of Transportation’s spokesperson for Projects and Incidents in northwest Oregon.
According to ODOT, Oregon state park staff at Oswald West State Park reported the damage Thursday to bridge, which is just north of Manzanita.
Officials arrived at the scene to see that the concrete guardrail and a part of the sidewalk collapsed, with the steel guardrail facing major damage too.
“Terrible timing for all the people that are traveling here,” said one woman who drove by the damage Thursday.
“We were just driving and we saw the guardrail kind of smashed in looking," she continued.
ODOT said they suspect the damage was caused by a car hitting it, but they also said there’s been no official report of an accident.
The bridge was built in 1937, and this particular section has never been replaced before. Then, in 2008, the steel guard rail was put in.
The bridge was temporarily closed on Thursday as officials ensured it was safe for one-way traffic moving along it, causing drivers to take a long detour.
“I had to take the super windy road through the trees, and the bus that I was driving was tall enough that I had to dodge the trees and the potholes and turns,” said Kaden Smith, another driver who was impacted by the closure.
Luckily, one lane was open a few hours later with traffic flaggers, which will continue into September.
"That lane needs to be kept closed because it’s not safe to be near an edge where there isn’t protection from a vehicle going off the bridge. and so we are going to be flagging 24/7 until the bridge can be repaired,” Houses said.
“I just hope it stays safe, I hope nobody goes off because it’s just open,” said Ted Johnson, another driver in the area.
With Labor Day weekend getting into full swing, there could be delays along this section of the coast.
“Delays would be just a few minutes, typically 10-20 minutes when we’re flagging traffic, but if things get really heavy it can go a little longer,” House said.
He said for those thinking of certain detours, it could add an hour or two onto your commute, so you’re better off waiting your turn.
He also said if you plan on heading out this weekend, make sure to check on tripcheck.com for the latest road condition updates.
As for how and exactly when drivers can expect the bridge to be fixed, House said that’s still unknown as the damage is being assessed.