The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin interim repairs to Coos Bay’s North Jetty by the middle of this month.

 The contractor, Kerr Contractors Inc. of Woodburn began hauling in jetty stone about two weeks ago at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management parking area on TransPacific Parkway, southwest of the BLM boat ramp.

It will begin hauling the stone to the jetty in mid-December, forcing the closure of the Foredune and South Dike roads on the North Spit.

“Due to poor visibility on the sand roads, and the size and limited maneuverability of the trucks, it is unsafe to share the roads with the public during this portion of the construction,” a press release said.

The sand roads will remain closed until the contractors finish hauling the 33,000 tons of stone that will be used to repair three sections of the jetty damaged during last December’s storms.

 Corps studies of the jetty determined it could fail by as early as next year without the improvements. A jetty failure would allow sediment to move into the bay’s navigation channel, making both commercial and recreational use more hazardous.

The corps intends to send out a notice prior to the road closures and another once roads are scheduled to reopen. Public access to the North Spit beach will available via Horsfall Beach. 

The bayside road at the end of TransPacific Parkway and the trails in the North Spit’s interior, up to Foredune Road, will remain open during the project. An informational sign with details on the interim jetty repairs is posted at the Coos Head Coast Guard lookout tower in Charleston — a good spot to view the work once it’s under way.