highway 101

Update: ODOT has repaved half of dangerous Hwy 101 shoulder

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

ODOT image of fresh pavement on shoulder of Highway 101 south of Florence.
(Photos: ODOT)

In the latest twist to the ongoing saga of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) problematic paving job on Highway 101, a regional manager announced today that they’ve already made significant progress in making it better.

As we first reported last month, ODOT came under fire after a Portland man (who also happens to have over 30 years experience at the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s bike program) raised alarms about dangerous paving on the Oregon Coast Bike Route. In order to cut costs on a repaving job south of Florence, ODOT contractors placed a new layer of pavement just a foot or two over the fog line. The new layer of pavement left a ledge smack dab in the middle of the shoulder where people ride bicycles on the popular touring route. After a bit of digging, we learned via ODOT Region 2 Manager Sonny Chickering that this repaving job was done in 2011 after a new policy went into place outlawing the practice. That new policy went into place specifically as a bike safety measure.

The SUV driven by Bethany Peck.
(Photos: Oregon State Police)

A man was seriously injured after he was struck from behind while bicycling on Highway 101 yesterday. The collision occurred at around 11:25 a.m. just north of the Coos/Curry County line.

Oregon State Police say that 52 year old Marcellus Tijdink from the Netherlands, was biking southbound on the shoulder of the highway near milepost 285 when he was struck by 62-year old Bethany Peck, who was driving a Toyota 4-Runner. The OSP reported this morning that Tijdink remains in the hospital and that “he is alert and his condition is improving.”

Here’s more from the OSP statement:

“This clearly should have been a VRU [vulnerable roadway user] case.”
— Ray Thomas, lawyer and bike law expert

A recent collision on Highway 101 has raised questions about the application of Oregon’s driving laws.

On July 8th, a 35-year old Providence Hospital surgeon from Hood River, Christeen Osborn, was riding her bike northbound on Highway 101 a few miles south of Cannon Beach when she was hit from behind by a mini-van being driven by 78-year Wanda Cortese from Kennewick, Washington. Based on an investigation and witnesses interviewed by the Oregon State Police, Cortese was found at fault for the collision and was given a citation for “Failure to drive within a lane,” a relatively minor traffic violation that comes with a $260 fine.

The Oregon State Police have just announced that 78-year-old Wanda Cortese has been issued a citation for her involvement in a collision with a woman riding a bicycle on Highway 101 south of Cannon Beach last week.

35-year-old Christeen Osborn, a well-known surgeon from Hood River, was riding on the shoulder of the highway prior to being struck by Cortese. The OSP investigated the collision and has cited Cortese under ORS 811.370, “Failure to Drive within Lane”. The violation is a class B traffic violation and the fine is set at $260. According to the OSP, Osborn remains in critical condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

Another serious injury collision happened today on Highway 101.

According to the Oregon State Police, at about 1:25 pm, a 35-year old woman was riding northbound on the shoulder of Hwy 101 five miles south of Cannon Beach near milepost 35 (just south of Hug Point Road) when she was struck by a 78-year old woman driving a Dodge Caravan. The OSP says the woman driving the van “drifted onto the shoulder and struck the woman’s bicycle from behind.” No names have been released yet.

The woman riding the bike was with her husband. He was up the road a bit, then stopped and turned around shortly after the collision because his wife never caught up. The woman was flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment of critical injuries. The van operator and her passenger were not injured.

Curry County DA convicted driver of
reckless driving and assault.

A man has been convicted on assault and reckless driving charges for driving his car into two women as they rode their bicycles on the Oregon Coast Bike Route last fall. The collision occurred on October 3rd, about 11 miles north of Gold Beach on Highway 101.

30-year-old Martha McClean and 26-year old Essya Nabbali were on a bike tour of the Oregon Coast and were pedaling southbound on a very narrow part of the highway known as Ophir Dike, when 62-year-old Neal Lawson struck them from behind with his PT Cruiser traveling at about 55 mph.

Approximate location of collision
via Google Streetview.

The two Canadian women involved in a collision Monday on Highway 101 north of Gold Beach remain hospitalized at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield (near Eugene) today.

30 year old Martha McClean remains in the Intensive Care Unit. That’s all I was able to find out about her condition after a call to the hospital today. McClean’s riding partner, 26-year-old Essya Mabrouka Nabbali, is listed in fair condition and one of her nurses told me she’s “stable” and “coming along.” The nurse also said Nabbali’s family is by her side.

Update: ODOT has repaved half of dangerous Hwy 101 shoulder

Man struck while bicycling on Highway 101 south of Bandon

Should Hwy 101 collision have triggered ‘vulnerable roadway users’ law?

Mini-van driver gets traffic citation in recent Hwy 101 collision

Collision on Hwy 101 south of Cannon Beach results in critical injury – UPDATED

Man receives jail time, assault conviction for Highway 101 collision

Women remain hospitalized following Highway 101 collision

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