ASHLAND - A $2.3 million repair project for the Preacher slide on Old Siskiyou Highway (Oregon 273) requires a two-month closure at milepost 6, just east of the Southern Oregon landmark, Callahan’s Mountain Lodge. Advance warning signs will direct travelers to detour around the work zone using either Oregon 66 or Interstate 5.

Prime contractor Copeland Paving Inc. of Grants Pass will build a rock buttress and install a slope drainage system to divert water away from the Preacher slide.

“Unfortunately, the permanent repair requires a full closure of Old Siskiyou Highway,” said ODOT Assistant District Manager Jeremiah Griffin. “The detour will make for a longer trip for residents, the delivery drivers who work that route, and summer tourists. We understand the burden this causes and ask for everyone’s support and patience as we put an end to the perennial problems this slide causes.”

ODOT made several temporary fixes over the past seven years to reopen this section of the highway until a permanent repair could be scheduled and financed.

For more information, contact Gary Leaming, PIO, Gary.W.Leaming@odot.state.or.us, 541-774-6388