Work began in early April 2025 on the second phase of a project aimed at stabilizing a landslide area along U.S. Highway 101 on the southern Oregon coast.

In January 2023, the Arizona Landslide closed the highway approximately 12 mi. south of Port Orford for several days. Over the following year, contractors for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) installed a network of drains and pipes uphill from the highway.

The next construction phase will build a vertical shaft, measuring approximately 20 ft. in diameter and 200 ft. deep, which will serve as a large catch basin for the new drainage system.

Portland, Ore.-based contractor Condon-Johnson & Associates moved equipment to the work zone in early April and broke ground mid-month. Construction for the project's second phase is estimated to cost $18.3 million; work is set to be completed by October 2026.

Most work will take place off the highway, but drivers should watch for workers along the shoulder and construction vehicles entering and exiting the travel lanes.

The landslide area, which is a half-mile north of the Arizona Beach Recreation Area, has been a problem since the highway opened in the 1920s. Large landslides closed the highway in 1938, 1954, 1978 and 1993, and smaller slides have required frequent lane closures and emergency repairs.

In the mid-1990s, a series of drains, including drainage shafts, were installed in the hillside to remove water and reduce ground movement. Those drains became less effective over time, and the 2023 landslide sheared the vertical drainage shaft located on the downhill side of the highway.

U.S. 101 is a lifeline route for those along the southern Oregon coast. When the highway is closed at the Arizona Landslide, drivers traveling between Port Orford and Gold Beach must detour five hours and 280 mi. along Oregon 42, Interstate 5 and U.S. 199. 