ODOT asks Seaside for input on fixing a flood-prone stretch of U.S. 101
The Necanicum River in Seaside. Photo: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Oregon Department of Transportation wants to hear from people who drive the stretch of U.S. 101 near Seaside that goes under water most winters. It is holding an open house Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway St.
The study covers about three miles of highway, mileposts 22.5 to 25, according to ODOT’s project page. That section floods seasonally, which the agency says makes it hard for ambulances, fire crews and everyone else to reach hospitals, homes and jobs. Repeated flooding has also left the pavement uneven enough that it can be hard to drive the posted speed safely.
ODOT isn’t proposing a project yet. The $250,000 planning study is meant to find long-term options that would cut flooding and maintenance and improve safety while keeping access to critical services open. The open house is where the agency will show the alternatives it has developed so far.
The study got underway early this year. Over the spring and summer, crews collected field data, engineers ran a hydrologic analysis of existing conditions, and ODOT drafted preliminary alternatives. Two advisory groups have been meeting along the way. A technical committee and a public committee include first responders, residents, business owners, the North Coast Land Conservancy and elected officials from Clatsop County and the city of Seaside. The plan is to write a draft flood mitigation plan early next year and finish the study by March 2027.
For anyone who can’t get to the library, ODOT is running an online open house through Nov. 29 with the same material and a comment form. People who need disability accommodations or materials in another format can contact senior transportation planner Caroline Crisp at 503-313-6812 or caroline.crisp@odot.oregon.gov, or use Oregon Relay at 7-1-1, at least 48 hours ahead, according to the agency’s announcement.
The timing is pointed. A windstorm Saturday pushed gusts of 50 to 60 mph into Clatsop and Tillamook counties, with a high wind warning running until 11 p.m. and a high surf advisory after it, KGW reported. Down in Tillamook County, the people’s utility district reported 85 customers out at the peak, mostly from trees and wires down, with power back by early Sunday morning.
ODOT has a second North Coast study going at the same time. It is looking at safety changes for people walking and biking on U.S. 101 through Nehalem and Wheeler, such as marked crossings, pedestrian signals and curb ramps. Project staff will be at U.S. 101 and Seventh Street in Nehalem and at 500 Nehalem Blvd. in Wheeler on Nov. 12 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., and an online survey is open until Nov. 22, Oregon Coast Beach Connection reported.
Questions about the Seaside study can go to ODOT public information officer Mindy McCartt at 503-507-6045.
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