NORTH COAST, Calif. – A culvert located on U.S. Highway 101, just north of the Willits Bypass Project, has been identified as needing immediate replacement.

During a yearly routine inspection after last weekend’s rains, the Willits Maintenance crew discovered that the culvert is beginning to fail.

Engineering staff were notified, and their inspection resulted in the initiation of an emergency replacement contract, and the culvert was shored up with timbers to ensure the integrity of the highway on Friday.

The 5-foot by 6-foot concrete box culvert originally was built in 1917, and was extended in 1984 to allow the addition of shoulders to the two-lane highway.

Replacing the culvert will require 24/7 one-way traffic control for about two weeks, although it is hoped that the traffic control will no longer be necessary by the time the Willits Bypass opens on Nov. 3.