NEWPORT, Oregon – The Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site parking area will close as early as June 1 for the first phase of an Oregon State University (OSU) wave energy project. The beach in front of the park and a restroom will remain open to visitors. OSU is holding virtual town halls Monday, May 10 to explain the project.

During the closure, the Driftwood Beach parking lot will be open only to vehicle traffic associated with the project. Visitor parking and beach access are available at multiple nearby state parks including Seal Rock State Recreation Site, Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site and Brian Booth State Park, which are all less than five miles from Driftwood Beach. Although the Driftwood Beach parking area will be closed, an on-site restroom will be available outside the construction area.

The closure is for initial work to connect OSU’s PacWave South wave energy test site to onshore components of the project. The work will include horizontal directional drilling deep beneath the park and ocean shore. Later subsea cable installation work will primarily be between 1 and 7 miles offshore.

The virtual town halls are set for:

Town Hall Meeting #1 on May 10, 2021 at 1 p.m.: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/93265505728

Town Hall Meeting #2 on May 10, 2021 at 6 p.m.: https://oregonstate.zoom.us/j/94557740261

More information about the town halls and how to attend are available at http://pacwaveenergy.org/, under the Construction Update section. The town halls will include construction updates and public question-and-answer sessions.

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