Landslide damages West Coast highway in Oregon

The famed West Coast highway that runs from the U.S. borders from Canada to Mexico has been closed at a spot along the Oregon coast after a landslide caused severe damage to the roadway.

U.S. Highway 101 was cracked and severed at points near the southwest Oregon town of Brookings.

The Oregon Department of Transportation says in a statement that there is a threat of more landslides amid heavy rain and snow caused by a storm system that has also hit hard in Northern California, Nevada, Washington state and Montana.

Traffic is being detoured Wednesday using a long, narrow and winding road with steep grades.

The department says it has a bid to repair damage but that work cannot start until the landslide that is still moving stops.

Landslides are common on the stretch of highway on the southern Oregon Coast.