Question: I want to know when the Oregon Department of Transportation is going to finish its U.S. Highway 101 project in Coos Bay?

Answer: Like many construction projects this time of year, ODOT is at the mercy of Mother Nature. That being said, ODOT spokesman Dan Latham explained the workers are scheduled to complete the finishing touches on the Highway 101 by the end of the month.

Much of the remaining work stems from problems discovered during construction.

Latham said puddling has been a problem on several stretches of Bayshore Drive, the northbound stretch of Highway 101 through Coos Bay. He said workers plan to grind down some of the inlets to improve drainage, though the work can’t be done in the rain.

They also are replacing some rusting conduits underneath the sidewalk in front of the Bunker Hill 7-Eleven, Latham said. The conduits protect cables that serve the in-road activation sensors for the nearby traffic signal.

That work should be finished within two weeks, Latham said.

Finally, the new traffic signal at Johnson Avenue and Broadway is scheduled to go online next week. The old signal equipment will still need to be removed, Latham said, and nearby sidewalks will be repaired following that.

“The plan is to finish by the end of November,” Latham said.

(I Want to Know is a regular feature of The World, offering readers a chance to anonymously ask questions and have reporters pursue answers. Those interested can send questions to The World newspaper, P.O. Box 1840, Coos Bay Ore. 97420; or by sending e-mail to news@theworld link.com.)