US-199 reopened to all traffic in California, a relief for local business

CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. – There’s good news for those wanting to use Highway 1-99 in California, it’s now fully reopened.

After 17 days, California Highway Patrol, in partnership with Caltrans, have decided to let all traffic through on Highway 199 one way at a time.

A pilot car will take northbound traffic from ‘Patrick’s Creek’ to ‘Oregon Mountain Road South’.

All southbound traffic will be taken back the from ‘Oregon Mountain Road South’ to ‘Patrick’s Creek.’

The opening of the highway is great news for businesses like ‘Taylor’s Sausage Country Store’ in Cave Junction.

“It can’t do nothing but help us,” Taylor Sausage owner Charles Taylor said. “Help the the community too and the fellas going through here that transport a lot of the stuff, we get a lot of them that stop in the meals. And we’ve lost them, they’re coming back one at a time. It’s slowly creeping back, I think it’s going to take a little while.”

Taylor told us last week his business saw less than 50 percent of it’s normal revenue after the highway shut down.

CHP is telling drivers to be cautious and patient on 199, as traffic will be slower than usual as fire personnel and construction crews work on the highway.