Cape Arago Highway Reopens, S. Oregon Coast Landmarks Like Shore Acres Accessible Again

Published 02/08/25 at 6:09 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – Almost as quickly as it was shut down by a major landslide on January 3, the Cape Arago Highway near Coos Bay has reopened with only a day's notice. The road again makes accessible south Oregon coast landmarks Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago itself. (Photo courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast)

It's a bit of a surprise, as Oregon coast officials were saying the reconstruction of the road would likely take several weeks, and that an estimate on when it would reopen was coming. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) made the announcement Friday – in what could be considered a case of underpromising and over-delivering.

Work was finished on the demolished roadway in a little over a month, to the glee of local tourism officials, like Janice Langlinais, executive director of Oregon's Adventure Coast: Charleston, Coos Bay, North Bend. Shore Acres and its winter display of massive waves is the most dramatic on the coastline. This time of year is often the height of its popularity, an important part of tourism in the bay area.

“We are so happy the construction was completed so quickly and now our state parks are accessible by vehicle again,” Langlinais told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

Friends of Shore Acres photo

She has not heard much on specifics from OPRD, but said it appears as if an eighth of a mile had to be rebuilt.

The slide occurred at what is called Norton's Gulch, almost immediately south of the entrance to Sunset Bay State Park and less than two miles from Charleston, washing out an enormous chunk of the roadway. It's an area that has been problematic in the past, this time requiring extensive work rebuilding the very foundations the road sits on.

Oregon's Adventure Coast

Work did not even begin on the area until January 28 because of planning and dealing with heavy rains, with OPRD saying it would be weeks before the area could put the "open" signs back up. OPRD is in charge of that road and not ODOT, but both worked together on the project, fixing it in a little over a week.

This also reopens the garden area of Shore Acres and stunning overlooks such as Cape Arago and Simpson Reef Overlook.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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