NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) — A contractor is looking for new ways to finish a road-straightening job through the Oregon Coast Range that has been plagued by ancient landslides damaging bridges.
The cost of the work on U.S. Highway 20 has escalated from $150 million to nearly $230 million, and is expected to rise.
Work has been halted for more than a year after engineers found that moving earth had knocked two bridges off plumb. Altogether, three of the four bridges in the slide area are showing damage. Efforts to stop the landslide have failed.
The Oregonian reports ( http://bit.ly/vxia4e ) the contractor is now thinking of eliminating some of the bridges in the design, which could mean more earthwork to finish the job.
