Moving Ahead Spring 2018

Page 1

A Mail Tribune Advertising Department publication

ODOT

March

2018

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Oregon 62 Expressway

4

Oregon 99 Enhancement

10

Bridge Decks Rehabilitation

13

Caveman Bridge

18

Oregon 140 Kershaw Intersection

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March 9, 2018

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Oregon 62 Expressway

The Oregon 62 Expressway project is shifting into its next phase, following another milestone last month as westbound traffic began driving on the new directional interchange constructed across from Hubbard’s Hardware, located between Delta Waters Road and the intersection of Poplar Drive and Bullock Road. The $120 million project is designed to increase capacity and improve safety along the Oregon 62 corridor, a critical business connection for commercial freight, tourism and commuters from Medford to destinations east.

Prime contractor Knife River Materials is constructing a 4.5-mile, four-lane expressway that connects near Interstate 5 Exit 30 and diverges from the Crater Lake Highway southeast of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. The new expressway, which will be named the Rogue Valley Expressway (see page 6 for more details), extends north, spanning Coker Butte and Vilas roads, and connecting at a signalized intersection with Oregon 62 near Corey Road. The project is on schedule for completion by the end of 2018.

EXPRESSWAY continued on page 6

EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Jared Castle, 541-957-3656 jared.b.castle@odot.state.or.us

CONTRIBUTORS Brian Fitz-Gerald Design & Illustration

Gary Leaming, 541-774-6388 gary.w.leaming@odot.state.or.us

Steve Johnson Photography

ADVERTISING Athena Fliegel, 541-776-4385 afliegel@mailtribune.com

Shelley Snow, Shonna Zimmermann Editing

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odotmovingahead.com

This feature publication is produced separately from the Mail Tribune’s editorial department. All content is developed and approved by the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer committed to a diverse workforce. Accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities; alternate formats are available upon request.


Oregon 62 Expressway Improvements Agate Road E. Gregory Road (private road)

Rogue Valley Expressway

Corey Road

Fowler Lane

Crater Lake Avenue

Oregon 62 Expressway will meet at a new signalized intersection with Crater Lake Highway. Crater Lake Avenue has been realigned with a new outlet at Fowler Lane. The Corey Road access will be closed.


Rogue Valley Expressway

new name is necessary to eliminate possible confusion with Crater Lake Highway and Crater Lake Avenue, which are both located in close proximity to the new expressway.

As times change names change and, sometimes, they change more than once. When groundbreaking for the first phase of the $120 million Oregon 62 Expressway began in May 2016, the project’s former name, “Oregon 62: I-5 to Dutton Road” was retired. “During the development process, project names are often focused on where the work begins and ends,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming. “Sometimes, as a project nears the construction stage and evolves, we need a new name that is more public-friendly.” The 2009 Oregon Legislature approved the Jobs and Transportation Act, which provided $100 million for the project’s first two phases, including construction of a 4.5-mile, four-lane expressway to alleviate safety and congestion issues along the existing Oregon 62 corridor. When it the project wraps up in late 2018, the new road will be officially signed as the Rogue Valley Expressway. ODOT Assistant District Manager Jeremiah Griffin said a

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The Rogue Valley Expressway connects near Interstate 5 Exit 30 and diverges from Oregon 62 southeast of the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. The new road extends further north, spanning Coker Butte and Vilas roads, before reconnecting to Oregon 62 at a signalized intersection near Corey Road. ODOT worked closely with emergency service providers during project development to address their operational needs. A gated entry at Justice Road will provide access to and from the Rogue Valley Expressway during emergencies. “The last thing we want is confusion when response time is critical,” said Griffin. “Emergency service providers share our agency’s concern. We want people to understand which road they are traveling on when they call 911 for help.”

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Oregon 62 Expressway EXPRESSWAY continued from page 4 “The public will continue to see a lot of activity on the south end of the project,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming. “The contractor is excavating the old Oregon 62 westbound lanes to align with the eastbound expressway. “The contractor is also building the westbound ramp for access onto Whittle Road and setting the stage for final paving and striping later this summer.” Winter construction work focused on setting beams and completing the bridge deck that spans Vilas Road. “The mild winter really helped the construction work,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “Fortunately, some nights last month were mild enough to allow the contractor to tie in the intersection paving and get traffic moved over to the new directional interchange.” Miles of Concrete More than nine lane miles of concrete road surface has been poured already, which is about a third of what is needed to complete the project. A portable concrete plant will resume operations off Helo Drive again this summer, providing Knife River Materials a quick trip to the work zone near Vilas Road north to Corey Road. “We expect the concrete will perform well in our southern Oregon weather,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “We expect to get decades of maintenance-free use.” Construction Milestones

Butte Road crossing, opening traffic to International Way and the properties located on the eastern side of the Rogue Valley InternationalMedford Airport; • Completed realignment of Crater Lake Avenue at the project’s north end with a new outlet at Fowler Lane; • Built new storm water detention and culverts at North and South Swanson Creeks; • Set bridge beams on the Vilas Road overcrossing; and • Opened the new directional interchange to westbound traffic between Delta Waters Road and the intersection of Poplar Drive and Bullock Road. Clearing Crashes ODOT and Knife River met with Medford-area emergency service representatives to share project information and examine response scenarios to potential traffic crashes in the work zone. The shared public safety goal is to remove vehicles blocking the travel lanes as soon as possible, reducing the likelihood of a secondary crash. “We’re all on the same page when there’s a work zone crash,” said ODOT Assistant District Manager Jeremiah Griffin. “Getting a crash cleared as soon as possible will reduce the chance of a secondary crash and keep traffic moving. That corridor is so busy that any crash will quickly affect local streets and back up traffic to I-5.”

Prime contractor Knife River Materials:

EXPRESSWAY continued on page 8 • Completed the new Coker

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Oregon 62 Directional Interchange

Whittle Road

12

1

14

13

15

LANDMARKS

1

Del Taco

12

All RV Needs

13

Hubbard’s Hardware

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Starbucks

Rogue Valley Expressway

15 Discount Tire

any driving lanes, even if the traffic behind you is stopped. This is to avoid a secondary collision, as well as to not impede traffic flow.

Signs directing motorists to move their vehicles off the highway after a fender bender-type crash are making a difference along the Oregon 62 corridor.

“Minor crashes are defined as when “We’ve seen an the vehicles are improved response The mild drivable and the from citizens, law winter weather people are without enforcement, injuries,” said fire and tow really helped the Griffin. “Motorists operators,” said construction work are required to Griffin. “First — ODOT Project Manager move their vehicles, responders are Tim Fletcher either to the highway quick to think about shoulder or to a nearby moving the vehicle parking lot, and away to get the road open from the and traffic moving in a travel lanes.” congested construction zone.”

Oregon law requires you to stop after a minor collision and pull out of

If you are the front car in a collision, motion to the other driver to follow

EXPRESSWAY continued on page 22

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Reach more than

100,000 Rogue Valley readers

Inserted in the Mail Tribune, Ashland Daily Tidings, The Grants Pass Daily Courier, Rogue River Press, Upper Rogue Independent and the Illinois Valley News We’re in busy places including the Medford International Airport, the Medford Visitors Center, the Rogue Valley Transit District and the DMV

Reach your customers! Call 541-776-4385


Oregon 99 Enhancements

Construction begins later this month on the Oregon 99 corridor from Talent to Ashland. With utility companies having completed their relocates out of the public right of way, prime contractor Knife River Materials will start paving and restriping Oregon 99 as part of a $5.4 million enhancement project, which extends from Rapp Road in Talent south to the Ashland city limits. Planned urban improvements from Rapp Road to Creel Road include new curb, gutters, sidewalks, bike lanes and driveways. The city of Talent is contributing $400,000 to the project, featured at a community-wide open house event in Talent last January. “This will be one of the pivotal projects for Talent and its future,” said Talent Mayor Darby Stricker. “What makes this a particularly great project is the impact it presents across the board. It’s not just safety but also livability and economic development potential for Talent.”

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Mayor Stricker said the urban improvements will contribute to a strong business corridor by providing better visibility for business and better access to driveways. The section of Oregon 99 from north of South Valley View to Jackson Road will remain in its current five-lane configuration because of the weaveand-merge traffic that accesses Oregon 99, Interstate 5, nearby businesses and the Bear Creek Greenway. A new bike lane will be added on northbound Oregon 99 from Jackson Road to South Valley View Road, a benefit for local riders who use the highway to connect to the Bear Creek Greenway near South Valley View Road. “This improvement has been on Talent’s wish list for some time,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “The enhancement project will provide a safer roadway for residents and business customers as well as those who are driving, riding or walking the corridor.”

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Vicki Fletcher

OWNER/BROKER


Ashland

Jackson Road

Ashland City Limits

S. Valley View Road

Exit 19

Oregon 99: Enhancement

Talent Avenue

LEGEND

Bear Creek Greenway

Bus Stops

2 NB, 2 SB lanes, center turn refuge, bike lanes, sidewalks remain on west side.

1 NB, 1 SB lane, center turn refuge, bike lanes, NB turn lane at Talent Ave.

1 NB, 1 SB lane, center turn refuge, bike lanes And sidewalk.

Creel Road

Talent

Rapp Road


Bridge Decks Rehabilitation

The bridge decks of the Interstate 5 viaduct and Barnett Road overpass that spans I-5 will both receive some needed attention this summer. A $1.5 million rehabilitation project will extend the life of the bridge decks, providing a better, smoother driving surface. Work on the busy viaduct will occur at night due to the high volumes of daily traffic from both local drivers and interstate travelers. More than 50,000 vehicles travel across the viaduct daily. One I-5 lane in each direction will close nightly from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The construction work will include deck inspection, repairs to problem areas, and ‘shot blasting’ to the deck in preparation for resurfacing with a multi-layer polymer concrete overlay. “The margin of safety is thin,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “Construction workers will be exposed to traffic, so part of our safety measures will be to place orange barrels for traffic separation and lower the speed limit to 45 MPH.”

Temporary transverse rumble strips will be used to alert drivers of the approaching work zone. “We need the public to pay attention and drive with caution in the work zone,” said Fletcher. Barnett Road Overpass The bridge deck on the Barnett Road is a patchwork of previous repairs, which is now affecting the bridge’s load capacity. According to Fletcher, the bridge is structurally deficient. As drivers can attest, the poor deck condition is evident each time crews patch new potholes. The overpass predates the opening of I-5 in 1962. “The contractor will chain drag the deck to find the bad spots, repair them, and then prepare the deck for a new overlay,” said ODOT Region Bridge Engineer Bob Grubbs. Rehabilitation on the Barnett Road overpass will occur during daytime hours. One lane will be open in each direction at all times. Travelers should expect delays and, if possible, consider alternate routes during the peak traffic hours.

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Trash Epidemic

Watch the video: http://bit.ly/2CFqxKc ODOT Maintenance Manager Steve Stone sighed and shook his head as he walked over to the green, 27-yard dumpster sitting in the back of his Central Point maintenance yard. A mountain of bright yellow trash bags, along with shredded pieces of wood, torn cardboard and a broken shopping cart, filled the dumpster. “Five years ago, Rogue Disposal emptied that dumpster twice a month,” said Stone. “Now, we call them in to come empty it twice a week.” Stone said the Central Point maintenance crew has spent more than $60,000 on trash pick-up and disposal over the last year alone. According to ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon, the maintenance offices in Ashland and Grants Pass have spent roughly the same amount combatting the litter problem. “The public money spent on clearing trash and disposal used to go to many other maintenance activities that benefit the public,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “As we’re forced to spend more and more taxpayer dollars just on trash, it feels like we’re throwing money away.”

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In the Central Point maintenance section alone, which runs from Phoenix north through Medford to Valley of the Rogue State Park, one ODOT litter crew of 2-3 employees work state highways daily. Additionally, ODOT contracts with Jackson County Corrections crews daily to work along I-5, picking up trash that includes hazardous waste like needles, urine bottles and human waste. Stone said the trash multiplies quickly, especially when people fail to ensure their loads are secure. Anything not tied down can become roadside trash. “We see a lot of boxes, a lot of cups, Styrofoam, plastics, tarps, and fast food containers,” said Stone. The trash catches the attention of visitors to the Rogue Valley. “Our guests notice the trash along the interstate and the north Medford exit as they’re driving to stay with us,” said Rogue Regency Inn Manager Bruce Hoevet. “They comment on the arear’s look. When they come back through, say after a week, and it isn’t picked up, they are telling us they’ll go somewhere else.”

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Public comments ODOT continues to struggle with the amount of trash and debris along Interstate 5 and other state highways in the Rogue Valley. Litter clean-up is heaviest on the highway shoulders, overpasses, bridges and other public property along the Bear Creek Greenway where individuals have created a campsite. ODOT regularly receives public comments about this epidemic. Maintenance offices based in Central Point, Ashland and Grants Pass direct clean-up operations throughout the Rogue Valley, employing litter crews and contracting with corrections crews. The following are public comments ODOT received over the past year regarding trash and debris in the Rogue Valley. We edited the comments to protect each person’s identity. We answered each comment via the agency’s ASK ODOT program. • I was told that ODOT was responsible for property around I-5. I live in Medford, Oregon and am appalled by the amount of debris found in the grassy areas around Barnett Rd and I-5. Who is responsible for taking care of this area? — Judy, January 29, 2018 • Dear ODOT, With great disappointment

I have noticed a major change in the amount of trash along I-5 over the past two years. In the thirty years I’ve lived in Oregon it has never been this bad and embarrassing. Does the department have no pride anymore? I know budgets are tight, but it is shameful how much trash is along the highway from southern Oregon to the Washington border. Ashland to Medford is shockingly a mess. What has happened to the process? Thank you for letting me know what’s going on, why it has deteriorated, and when it can be cleaned up. — Nancy, December 12, 2017 • I wish to report comments made by many of my friends about how trashy the I-5 is between Central Point and Ashland and even to Siskiyou Summit. It is looking like a landfill - even though I have seen cleanup crews doing a small area several times in the last few months - they must be overwhelmed/understaffed. Is there still a litter law in Oregon? If so, it needs enforcement and warning signs! — Dan, January 2, 2018 • I have noticed that I-5, at least between Medford and Ashland, is trashed... meaning there is trash, litter, dead animals, car parts...all over. Are there no crews that keep highways cleaned? Who can I contact to get the ball rolling. It reflects poorly on our state and county to be so beset by litter. — Tracy, September 24, 2017

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Trash Epidemic

What is Adopt-A-Highway?

• Have the ability to walk in uneven terrain, lift and carry filled bags, and work safely around factors such as heavy traffic and high noise levels.

The Adopt-A-Highway program provides citizens who are concerned about Oregon an opportunity to clean up litter and remove noxious weeds along state highways. Work activities may also include graffiti removal and maintenance of existing landscaped areas.

• Must provide their own transportation and set their own schedule. Every organization will select a spokesperson (point of contact) who will be responsible for: • Assuring that participants comply with the Adopt-A-Highway program requirements and safety procedures and has signed a liability release with ODOT;

Who May Participate? Volunteers: • May be individuals, families, groups or businesses; however, the organization must be readily identifiable as verified with the Secretary of State, group bylaws, etc.

How to Participate

• Must be 16 years of age or older with at least one adult supervisor present while the work is being done.

March 9, 2018

• Picking up and returning the supplies provided by ODOT; • Notifying ODOT of any flagged items.

• Must be willing to commit to at least one year of volunteer service with a minimum of litter clean up four times a year or noxious weed removal two times a year.

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• Coordinating transportation of participants to and from the work area;

Application forms are available online at http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/ Maintenance/Pages/Adopt-A-Highway. aspx. You can also call ODOT’s White City office at 541-774-6388.

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HAWTHORNE PARK

Hazmat Trash

Old Campsites

Active Campsites

LEGEND

Exit 30

ROGUE VALLEY MEDFORD AIRPORT

ROGUE VALLEY MALL

e Ave.

Riversid

Biddle Road

e dr An Mc

Campsite Trash oa

d ws R

BEAR CREEK PARK rn Ba

t et

d a Ro

High land

t

Exit 27

Stre e

Ga rfie l

dS

tre et


Caveman Bridge

Working behind a curtain by day and on bridge rail by night, the construction crew performs rehabilitation work on the historic Caveman Bridge generally out of sight and mind for most Grants Pass residents.

performing crack injections,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “The curtain helps contain dust and maintain a moderate temperature for the rehabilitation work.” Single-lane closures allow the construction workers to cut the old bridge rail out and replace it with a new rail with an identical design that meets today’s safety standards. ODOT and the contractor will schedule 12 full-night closures, from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., as needed over the course of the two-year project. Special provisions in the project scheduled nowork weekends to avoid conflicts with community events.

Prime contractor HP Civil Inc. of Stayton constructed a work platform attached by cables under the bridge. The work platform provides safe and sturdy access to the belly of 86-yearold bridge, which spans the Rogue River as the gateway to the Redwood Empire in southwest Oregon and northern California. The $5.3 million rehabilitation project is Caveman Bridge’s first major upgrade since its construction in 1931.

Boatnik Strengthening Caveman Bridge involves repairing exposed steel rebar, injecting the cracks with epoxy, and installing titanium rebar. After the bridge work is completed, the historic gateway sign on the north side of the bridge will also undergo rehabilitation by the city of Grants Pass. “During the winter, crews are repairing the bridge’s concrete and

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Grants Pass celebrates Boatnik every Memorial Day weekend. The Grants Pass Active Club has hosted the annual multi-day celebration since 1959. Families enjoy the event throughout the community, including the downtown parade and boat races on the Rogue River. Prime contractor HP Civil Inc. of

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Stayton has stated its goal to replace the Caveman Bridge rail before the Boatnik celebration. “The project’s construction schedule was designed to reduce impacts to businesses and travelers as well as support the community events vital to Grants Pass,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming. “The rehabilitation work is moving along on schedule, so we’re confident the contractor will meet its goal.” Pedestrian Accessibility Last summer, the Grants Pass City Council inquired whether the agency had considered widening the bridge to comply with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).

“It’s not a lot, but it is a lot,” said Randy Samuelson, Executive Director of the Handicap Awareness and Support League. “It’s a huge first step, those three inches. It shows we’re moving in the right direction for those who are disabled.” With the removal of the decorative rail, the new minimum width will be two feet, 11 inches or 35 inches. “The need for better accessibility wasn’t envisioned when the bridge was built in 1931,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “While this won’t be quite as wide as we’d hoped, it will be more accommodating for everyone.”

The ODOT project development team investigated how to widen the sidewalks at its narrowest points — two feet, eight inches — where the bridge arches meet the walkway. The team worked with the State Historic Preservation Office. Three options were researched: (1) curb extensions, also known as bulb-outs or bump-outs; (2) widening the sidewalk along the entire length of the bridge; and (3) narrowing the bridge rail. Unfortunately, those three options were determined to have an adverse effect on the historic bridge. ODOT recently submitted an alternate plan to remove a three-inch decorative rail from each of the bridge arches where it meets the sidewalk. The State Historic Preservation Office approved the request. The current pinch point is two feet, eight inches. odotmovingahead.com

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May 19, 2017

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www.cavemanbridge.com

Oregon’s Historic Bridge Field Guide describes Caveman Bridge as “highly ornamented, including pylon lampposts, decorative brackets and a floral panel bridge rail” and lists the bridge as only one of three of its kind remaining in the state.

The 2017 bridge rehabilitation project will be the first major facelift of Caveman Bridge since its construction in 1931. The rainbow arch spanning the Rogue River was designed by Oregon’s famed bridge engineer Conde B. McCullough, who oversaw construction during the Great Depression era. McCullough’s work is widely known for architectural beauty and the Caveman Bridge is no exception.

Caveman Bridge is an iconic link in the city of Grants Pass. Generations of tourists traveled across the Caveman Bridge, which spans the Rogue River and serves as a gateway to the Redwood Highway (U.S. 199) corridor, linking the Rogue Valley to gigantic forests and the coastlines of southern Oregon and northern California.

Improve bridge illumination with new lighting that maintains the character of the bridge’s street lights.

Repair sections of cracked concrete, exposed rebar and failed joints along the nearly 550-foot long structure.

Address bridge deck delamination by grinding off the existing asphalt cap and replacing it with a stronger, premixed polymer concrete bridge deck.

Caveman Bridge Rehabilitation Project

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Replace original bridge rail, maintaining its unique design while meeting today’s safety standards.

Project Cost: $5.3 million Construction Schedule: Sept. 5, 2017 – Feb. 2019 Expect single-lane traffic at night, along with 12 full-night closures during the project



Oregon 62 Expressway EXPRESSWAY continued from page 8 you to a close place where there’s room for both of you to pull over safely. If you’re on the shoulder, stay as far away from moving cars as possible while you assess damage and exchange insurance information. Safety concerns rapidly increase as the stopped vehicles in a fender bender affect traffic along the corridor and cross streets all the way back to the I-5 interchange and off-ramps.

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“The likelihood of a secondary crash increases with each passing minute,” said Griffin. Fortunately, fender benders are the least serious and most common type of crashes reported along the corridor. Even before construction began several intersections along the Oregon 62 corridor between Delta Waters Road and Interstate 5 had higher than normal crash rates.

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Oregon 140 - Kershaw Intersection

Roughly a quarter past 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 28, Vernon and Rachel Black of Rancho Cucamonga, California, drove northbound past the stop sign at Kershaw Road and pulled their 2013 Toyota Camry in front of Freightliner semitrailer traveling westbound on Oregon 140. The crash killed 65-year-old Vernon and 59-year-old Rachel. It marked the second fatal crash at the intersection of Kershaw Road and Oregon 140 in 2017, ending a period of more than a decade without a fatal crash.

2006. The result was no fatal crashes over the next decade (2007-2016), however, 34 crashes were reported during that period.

In May 2017, 21-year-old Hunter Hoeptner of Eagle Point died when his 2001 Honda sport bike struck the side of a 2004 Ford pickup crossing the highway northbound. We saw one Hoeptner was driver enter from traveling Kershaw onto the eastbound, speeding in excess highway right in of 100 MPH. OSP front of a log truck, cited speed as a nearly causing a contributing factor in the crash. The head-on collision. driver of the pickup — ODOT Traffic Investigator Bob Sechler was uninjured.

“We’ve struggled with this intersection before,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “As we do after any fatal crash, we examined the roadway, the environment, and driver behavior.” Previous safety improvements at the intersection included dedicated turn lanes and advance flashing beacons in

According to Marmon, a driver who misjudges the speed of approaching traffic on Oregon 140, where drivers push their speeds with good sight distance and a flat roadway surface, can wind up in a tragedy. In fact, ODOT traffic engineers reported witnessing several near-misses at the intersection of Kershaw Road and

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Oregon 140 at Kershaw Road

NEW SPEED

50

TRAFFIC CROSS T STOP DOES NO

LEGEND Kershaw Road

Oregon 140 during their investigation in early January. “We saw one driver enter from Kershaw onto the highway right in front of a log truck, nearly causing a head-on collision,” said ODOT Traffic Investigator Bob Sechler. “The log truck had to veer around the car using the oncoming left-turn lane to avoid a crash. “Our analysis showed that drivers on Kershaw Road were in a hurry, trying to cross Oregon 140. Rather than coming to a complete stop, a high percentage of drivers simply followed the vehicle in front of them without looking for oncoming traffic.” ODOT traffic engineers presented

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• Add new intersection street lighting • Speed limit lowered through intersection to 50 MPH • Replace and increase size of all intersection signing • Restripe and refresh existing striping including turn lanes and stop bars

immediate safety recommendations to Marmon and Jackson County Roads and Parks Manager John Vial, who manages the county-owned Kershaw Road. Safety improvements scheduled for installation include: • Installing larger signing at the intersection, including new 48-inch stop signs and red flashing beacons above the stop signs; • Reducing the Oregon 140 speed through the Kershaw intersection to 50 MPH; • Adding new intersection street lighting, and; • Adding transverse rumble strips on Kershaw Road.

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Shady Cove

Prime contractor HGC, Inc. of White City is making great use of mild winter weather conditions to stay on schedule with the $2.7 million enhancement project on Oregon 62 in Shady Cove. The contractor completed the project’s first phase on the east (Rogue River) side of Oregon 62 as well as the west side between the Rogue River Bridge and Chaparral Drive. While the project schedule calls for major construction work to be completed by the end of May 2018, a return of more severe winter weather could push that completion date into June. “We’ll soon shift to nights in the narrower north portion of the project,” said ODOT Project Coordinator Shawn Daw. According to Daw, construction crews keep traffic moving in both directions while performing necessary work on the shoulder, insuring the Shady Cove community stays connected and commerce keeps moving on

Oregon 62. Flaggers control traffic, especially when trucks and equipment enter or exit the work zone. A key component for the flaggers and work under traffic is to keep pedestrians safe next to the highway as well as across from it. Pedestrian paths are clearly marked in the work zone. New crosswalks are in place with pedestrian activated lights to warn drivers of crossing pedestrians. Oregon State Police patrol the work zone with overtime enforcement hours provided through the project budget. The Oregon 62 paving project features roadway safety improvements and enhancements along the Shady Cove business corridor that were proposed by the city. Project improvements include new curb, gutter and sidewalks as well as bike lanes through the commercial corridor from the Rogue River Bridge north to the Shady Cove School at Cleveland Street. Toward the end of the project, Oregon 62 will get a new asphalt road surface and striping.

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City Hall

New right-hand turn lane added to Rogue River Drive

✔Curb, gutter, sidewalk work complete

*

Crosswalks with Rapid Flashing Beacon warnings

Sidewalks and bike lanes

LEGEND

Shady Cove School

Cleveland Street

Phil’s Frosty

Chaparral Drive

Chase Bank

Shady Cove Oregon 62 Enhancement

Rogue River Drive

*


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