Moving Ahead Spring/Summer 2020

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2020

June

ODOT

A Mail Tribune Advertising Department publication



Header

Safety Partnership

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Bike-Ped Safety

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Oregon 99 Safety Project

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I-5 Climbing Lane

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Siskiyou Paving

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Headeron your Mind... Safety After an unprecedented spring of COVID-19 and the resulting job losses and illness, health and safety are all understandably on our minds. For us, it’s how we work safely with our contractors to complete necessary transportation projects. But perhaps the biggest part of this partnership is you.

nighttime into the daytime. If you’re delayed or detoured because of this, please know we have weighed the risk. Your lives as well as the lives of our co-workers and contractor partners are important. We want them to go home to their families every night. We know that’s where you want them to be too. ■

You’ll see safety as a recurrent theme in our construction publication this year. What does safety look like? Where it makes sense, it’s moving major road work to the nighttime hours; it’s detouring – separating traffic from active work zones where workers can literally be an arm’s length from moving vehicles and critical injury and death. This move didn’t come lightly. After near misses and even fatalities involving our workers and those of our contractors, we’re examining every project as to how to separate workers from live traffic. If not outright detours, then it’s extending the work hours beyond the

CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gary Leaming 541-774-6388 gary.w.leaming@odot.state.or.us

ADVERTISING Bill Krumpeck 541-776-4416 bkrumpeck@rosebudmedia.com

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Paul Bunch, Amy Tse Graphic Design Steve Johnson Photography Brian Fitz-Gerald Illustration Shelley Snow, Charles Duncan Editing

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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.


Header for Family Fighting

By Joe Soares, Knife River Materials Our company is a family. Everyone brings something unique to the table, and at the end of the day – even on those days where we might have some disagreements – we have each other’s backs. That’s why the next sentence I’m going to say bothers me so much. Someone is hurt in a work zone crash in Oregon every day, on average. First, that statistic is needlessly high. Second, I detest that phrase, “on average.” There should be nothing average about people getting hurt. It certainly doesn’t feel average that three of my co-workers have been killed in Oregon work zones since 2012. Greg Priest, KC Wilson and Ron Davis died while working in a construction zone on Oregon’s highways. They were doing their jobs the right way when they were struck by a driver who was either inattentive or under the influence. Those tragedies devastated our close-knit company. We got on every safety taskforce and advisory committee we could. We

advocated for our team. We lobbied for positive changes. And ODOT became a great safety partner. That partnership became crucial on the biggest little job we had this year. In early May, Knife River Materials completed a small maintenance project on I-5 in south Medford. Grind and inlay, 2 lane-miles, 1,600 tons of asphalt. A nice project we were very happy to have, but not one that would typically cross the desk of our board of directors. But this one did. We bid the job with a lot of extra traffic control, and right after it was awarded, Project Manager Jon Barton submitted a request to ODOT to completely detour traffic from I-5. We had drawn up a plan. We figured with a full closure we could get the work done in two days instead of the prescribed four, and we knew our team would be safer. We called ODOT Rogue Valley Area Manager Art Anderson. We didn’t know what to expect. Art went over the plan and supported it completely, as did ODOT District story continued on page 6

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Fighting for Family Header

Manager Jerry Marmon. With those approvals, we were able to proceed with a full detour. It didn’t hurt that this stretch of I-5 – from Exits 24 to 27 – was ideally suited for it. The interchanges on both ends of the job were built to handle high volumes of traffic, and the interstate is paralleled by Oregon 99. So, starting at 10 p.m. both nights, we were able to fully divert traffic onto four-lane Highway 99 until 5:30 a.m. It all went smoothly. story continued from page 5

With the two northbound lanes closed one night and two southbound lanes the next, we got to work. In addition to our paving crew and support personnel, we had a full-time mechanic on site to immediately respond to any breakdowns. We wanted to prove we could get the job done on time. We had our lowboy drivers ready in their trucks to load out our equipment the second we finished. We completed the job half

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an hour early – 14.5 hours instead of the 30 in the original plans. Safe for our team, safer for the public and a quicker turnaround. We’re grateful to have a safety partner in ODOT, and we look forward to future projects where we can build in extra precautions like these. ODOT is looking at detours for upcoming work on Oregon 140 west of White City and U.S. 199 west of Grants Pass. That's fantastic. People aren’t statistics. Greg, KC and Ron had families. All of us do. By working together and truly putting safety first, we can get home to them every night. Joe Soares is general manager of Knife River Materials in Medford. He has worked in the construction industry in Oregon for 32 years. Joe’s fourth grandchild, Keeney, was born on the second night of this I-5 paving project. ■ odotmovingahead.com


Looking out for Each Other Header By Jenna Marmon With the warming weather and changes to our daily lives brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are out walking and biking these days. Whether we’re strolling around the neighborhood to get some fresh air, rolling on a scooter to the market to grab some groceries, or taking a jog or a bike ride for exercise, it’s likely our trip will include sharing a roadway with vehicles and the people driving them. When we’re walking, rolling (a scooter, skateboard, mobility device), or biking on the street, we’re especially vulnerable because we don’t have the protection that the steel shell of a car offers. We are more at risk of being seriously injured or killed if involved in a crash.

There are extra safety precautions that everyone can make, no matter how we’re traveling. The critical point to sharing the road is paying attention and keeping our eyes and ears on the road. For people biking that means watching for hazards including road debris and potholes and watching for cars from all directions—especially when someone is turning or entering the road from a driveway or side street. When we’re walking, we need to be especially careful at intersections. We should not assume that someone driving has seen us before we step out, even if we are at a legal crosswalk and have the right-of-way. And as drivers, because even a small mistake can be deadly to others and tragic for story continued on page 8

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Looking out for Each Other Header feet of space. As drivers we also need to check behind us before we open our vehicle door into traffic.

story continued from page 7

everyone, we need to keep our full focus on driving at all times. We all need to be predictable. No one likes to be surprised, whether it’s by suddenly coming upon a person walking in the road wearing all black, being passed on a bike with little room to spare, or having someone merge across the lane without signaling. We all prefer to be able to anticipate what’s coming at us on the roadway. People walking should wear bright, reflective clothing or carry a light at night, and use sidewalks when they’re available. When they are not, stick to the edge facing oncoming traffic. When we’re biking, we need to have a headlight and taillight or rear reflector. Use the bike lane and travel the same direction as traffic; signal our intentions. When we’re driving and passing slower moving bicycle traffic, we need to wait until it is safe and pass them with care, giving at least 3

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Finally, a word on speed. When we’re driving on streets where people are or are likely to be walking and biking (especially kids), the single most effective strategy to keep everyone safe is to slow down. The distance required to stop our car if we’re traveling 30 mph is nearly twice that of traveling 20 mph. If we’re driving 40 mph and hit someone, they have a small chance of survival. But if we’re driving 20 mph, they are very likely to survive. And, we have a better chance of seeing someone in the first place when we’re going slower. We all have a role in traffic safety; take good care out there. Jenna Marmon is the Southwest Region Active Transportation Liaison for ODOT. She lives in Medford. ■

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Oregon 99 Coleman Creek Bridge Header is the lowermost barrier and as such is the place to begin restoration. The culvert replacement project is part of the stewardship agreement between ODOT and ODFW.

Changes are coming later this winter to Oregon 99 north of Phoenix in advance of a culvert replacement project over Coleman Creek. Utilities will be moved near the culvert to prepare for the 2022 project that will replace the aged culvert with a new bridge. The old box culvert has a severe drop that not only causes erosion downstream but hinders small fish from migrating to spawning beds higher up in the water shed. Changing it to a bridge is on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s priority list, according to Rogue District Fish Biologist Dan Van Dyke. “Coleman Creek is one of the larger tributaries of Bear Creek,” said Van Dyke. “Cutthroat trout are native to Coleman Creek, but the dominant fish species is summer steelhead.” Van Dyke notes each spring, wild summer steelhead produced in Coleman Creek migrate down Bear Creek to the Rogue River and out to the ocean at Gold Beach. The migration is repeated about every two years when the fish return as 3 to 5 pound adults coming back to span.

“We work cooperatively with our partner agency to help reduce the number of barriers to fish passage on our highways,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. He added the agency has done this on several other projects, most recently on Kane Creek near Gold Hill. ODFW urges all landowners along Coleman Creek and nearby streams to protect and restore native trees and shrubs along streambanks. Doing so keeps streams cool and clean. A fund strictly dedicated for fish passage is paying for the bridge conversion. For traffic, culvert replacement will mean single lane traffic through the short work zone while an ODOT contractor builds the new bridge, one-half at a time. Access to nearby business driveways will be available during the different project phases. Needed pedestrian and bicycle lanes are also part of the project. Lack of sidewalk and bike lanes are a major impediment for people living north of Coleman Creek on Oregon 99 who want to safely walk or bike to the nearby Phoenix stores. This project will help set the stage for future multimodal transportation upgrades to the north. ■

ODFW estimates Coleman Creek provides more than four miles of habitat, but it is less than a half mile upstream from Bear Creek. While not the only human-made barrier to fish migration and production, the culvert

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ODFW video of juvenile steelhead trying to migrate past Coleman Creek culvert can be viewed at: https:// bit.ly/2yAQC1h

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Oregon 99 Safety Project users, pedestrians and drivers. And the scope of the project is designed to be delivered quickly and as efficiently as possible as compared to other more complicated projects that take years of planning, engineering and purchasing right of way before the first shovel is turned. Some highlights: •Instead of new, dedicated light poles, we’ll use existing Pacific Power utility poles to install low cost, LED street lights.

Oregon 99 between Phoenix and south Medford is a busy highway that is home to many apartments and manufactured homes. It’s also a very dangerous four-lane corridor with few streetlights, sidewalks and crosswalks. In the past, this corridor has seen more than its share of serious injury and fatal crashes by people either walking on the roadway or crossing it on a run to the store. Without a budgeted long-term project to address the corridor safety problems, District Manager Jerry Marmon called a technical team together to see what could be done to make this densely populated and troublesome corridor safer. Solutions that came out of the meeting are designed to make the corridor safer and better lit for all

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•We’ll construct marked crosswalks, with at least one pedestrianactivated Rapid Flashing Beacon, near frequently used crossings, such as at nearby markets and La Clinica. •We’ll also construct concrete islands at specific locations. These will give pedestrians a refuge out of traffic and make them more visible to drivers. •We’ll reduce the speed limit from the existing 45 mph to 35 mph. The idea is to use operations dollars for a project that can quickly be designed in-house and then sent to a contractor, with much of the work done by state forces. “The dollars spent on this project will really help make this corridor safer until we can get a larger capital project that will build sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes,” said Marmon. ■ odotmovingahead.com


Redwood Highway Safety Corridor A crash-prone section of U.S. 199 between Selma and Cave Junction is now a designated safety corridor. The safety corridor has been in force since May 1 for a seven-mile area of Redwood Highway. Safety corridors are designed to raise public awareness. Drivers will see an increase in law enforcement patrols and traffic fines will double. As an added safety measure, drivers are encouraged to use their headlights at all times. “This section of Redwood Highway has a higher crash rate than other rural highways,” said ODOT Transportation Safety Coordinator Rosalee Senger. “We’ve been working with a local safety awareness committee for more than a year on safety education and enforcement, so to see this go into effect is a win for the Illinois Valley community.” Last year there were four fatal crashes on Redwood Highway all between June 1 and August 30. The goal of the safety corridor, which will run through May 2023, is to

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encourage people to drive carefully and avoid common driving errors. “We want everyone to make it to their destination without incident and this safety corridor will help in that effort,” said Oregon State Police Lieutenant Stephanie Bigman. She said OSP is looking out for the “Fatal Five”: •Speed

•Impaired driving

•Occupant •Occupant safety safety

•Distracted driving

•Lane •Lane safety safety

•Distracted driving

The Illinois Valley community, including the U.S. 199 Safety Corridor Working group, voiced support for establishing a safety corridor. Members of the group include community members, law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, and state and county road authorities. Later this year, ODOT plans to start a corridor planning study which will involve the community. It will suggest long term safety-related improvements and future projects. ■

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Header Grants Pass Pedestrian Improvements Construction is currently underway at several 6th and 7th Street intersections in Grants Pass, with work planned on several other intersections later this summer. The goal is to make them safer for pedestrians and to comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The first batch of intersection upgrades include signal and pedestrians improvements to the busy 6th and Morgan intersection as well as other crosswalk and ramp improvements to 6th and B Streets near the Josephine County Courthouse, 7th and School, and 6th and Steiger Streets. So-called ‘bulb-outs’ or sidewalk extensions into the street will be constructed at 6th and B Streets and 6th and Steiger Streets. By allowing

pedestrians to stay on the sidewalk but only a little farther out in the street, pedestrians and drivers will see each other better. Why those intersections out of so many on 6th and 7th? “These intersections have a history of crashes,” said ODOT Transportation Project Manager Dan Roberts. “We’re using federal safety funds specifically targeted to those type of intersections with a pedestrian crash history. The intersections are in the city of Grants Pass but operated by ODOT.” The 6th and Morgan intersection at the northern gateway from Interstate 5 into Grants Pass will see the biggest change. New signals and sidewalk crossings and landings will replace

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HeaderPass Pedestrian Improvements Grants

those built when the interstate opened in the early 1960s. Back then, much of the surrounding 6th and Morgan area was undeveloped. Although many local drivers who use the intersection may understand it, those from out of town are frequently confused and crash. As a result, the intersection has one of the highest crash rates in the state, said Roberts. “Drivers come into the intersection with two signals with two separate phases, which is rare,” said Roberts. He noted when adjacent traffic gets the green light and traffic next to them is still red, those waiting think they can go as well, resulting in a crash. In addition to new signals and poles, the 6th and Morgan improvements include a blind or shield that will prevent the southbound off-ramp traffic seeing the traffic next to them on Scoville Road. Due to traffic impacts, construction at the 6th and Morgan and 6th and B odotmovingahead.com odotmovingahead.com

Streets will be at night. Disability rights advocate Tony Ellis and other pedestrian advocates see the work as sorely needed. “It’s a way that every design we encounter will be the same,” noted Ellis. “The work ODOT is doing at the local basis and statewide is giving people back their communities, back their freedom and independence.” Later this summer, separate projects will upgrade the pedestrian ramps to current ADA standards at 6th and Midland and 7th and Steiger Streets. On Rogue River Highway, improvements are being planned between Maple and Hamilton Lanes.■

To participate in an online open house through June 30 on the Grants Pass Signal and Pedestrian project, scan the QR code or follow the link: : https://openhouse. oregondot.org/signal-andpedestrian-upgrades

November June 26,15, 2020 2019

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Americans with Disabilities Act

Grants Pass Rogue River

The Oregon Department of Transportation will construct hundreds of intersection ramps in Jackson and Josephine Counties in the next two years to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. These ramps must meet stringent standards as to the level of approach and degree of slope. The landing must also include a tactile pad for those who are sight impaired. Rebuilding these ramps are a priority for ODOT to meet the agency’s settlement agreement with Disability Rights Oregon. Most of these project will be done during the daytime hours. Those that adversely affect traffic will be done at night. ODOT will ensure that pedestrians — including those with disabilities — will have temporary access through the intersections during construction.

To view what ramps will be rebuilt in these communities under this project, visit www.SouthernOregonADAprojects.org or use the QR code.

www.SouthernOregonADAprojects.com

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Project: 2020-21

Eagle Point

Gold Hill

White City

Central Point

Jacksonville

238 Medford

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I-5 Header Roberts Mountain Climbing Lane

If you’ve driven Interstate 5 north to Roseburg recently, you probably passed through a large work zone on nearby Roberts Mountain, where the speed limit drops to 55 mph and concrete barrier flanks the narrow travel lanes. As you climbed the mountain, weaving around slow-moving semis and log trucks, you may have also seen excavators digging into the slopes and trucks carrying rock from one side of the mountain to the other. If you’re wondering what’s going on, you’re not alone. Some have speculated ODOT is lowering the mountain pass by a couple hundred feet. Others wonder if new roads are being built for a future mountaintop development. The real answer is less dramatic. Trucks often slow down on steep uphill grades, causing congestion and delaying traffic. The differences in speed, which lead some drivers to abruptly change lanes, increase the

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risk of serious and fatal crashes on the mountain. To help improve safety and the flow of traffic, ODOT is building a climbing lane on both the northbound and southbound approaches to Roberts Mountain pass. In these three-lane areas, each a little over a mile long, trucks will be directed to the right lanes while passenger vehicles can use the other lanes to travel at normal highway speeds. This will ease congestion and improve safety by reducing the need for sudden lane changes. “We’re addressing the need for more capacity especially when trucks are climbing a steep grade,” said Chris Hunter, ODOT area manager for Douglas County. “Slow moving trucks, especially when they take both lanes, create a safety hazard for everyone.” The $30.5 million Roberts Mountain project will also pave about 5 miles of I-5 and install new guardrail and barrier.

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Header I-5 Roberts Mountain Climbing Lane Kerr Contractors of Woodburn spent most of last year excavating the hillside, and this summer and fall they will focus on building the climbing lanes. Paving is scheduled for next spring, and all work is scheduled to be completed by June 2021. Some construction is hard to see from the road, such as building retaining walls. Other work has gotten a lot more attention. To widen the roadway for the new southbound climbing lane, Kerr is using oversize dump trucks and road graders on the north face of the mountain and near the pass. Material from those groomed slopes is being transported to the valley south of the mountain. “It’s nice to have a close location to place the fill,” said Hunter. “To place this amount of fill off-site miles away would be very expensive and a logistical headache.” About 500,000 cubic yards of material has been transported from the north slope to the south valley. Since each truck carries about 30 cubic yards, that means more than 16,500 loads have been hauled over the top of the mountain. Climbing lanes are a popular and important addition to freeways in

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southern Oregon, home of some of the steepest grades on the interstate system. Over the past decade, I-5 climbing lanes have been constructed on Mount Sexton, Sutherlin Hill, Rice Hill and near the Drain interchange. Mike Card, president of Combined Transport based in Central Point, believes climbing lanes have many benefits. “Trucks are a lot slower going up mountain passes,” Card told Moving Ahead back in 2016. “When you have only two lanes and cars and other trucks are trying to pass, you have congestion. Safety is critical.” Card noted the trucking industry is based on just-in-time delivery, and any delay is harmful. “The ability to pass other trucks in a safe environment helps us stay on schedule,” he said. Card believes improvements are needed on all steep passes, and southern Oregonians aren’t the only ones who will benefit. “Congestion is an issue for everyone in Portland, and a truck climbing lane is a need for everyone traveling through southern Oregon.” ■

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Oregon 140 Roundabout Header

Two separate road projects – the Oregon 140 roundabout and Foothill Road extension – will unite to become one for drivers east of White City later this fall. Already the marriage of ODOT and Jackson County projects can be seen from the air and the ground, and soon they will translate into a new, safer Oregon 140 intersection. So why a roundabout and not a traffic signal on this high speed, rural highway? “We get a lot of comments about ‘just put in a signal,’” said ODOT Traffic Standards Engineer Kevin Haas. “But when we make data-driven safety decisions and look at the historical data, on average, about half the crashes at signalized intersections involve injuries and fatalities. And the reason we propose roundabouts is they nearly eliminate all fatal and serious injury crashes.”

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Federal Highway Administration data supports Haas’ statement. It shows roundabouts improve safety by reducing all fatal and serious injury crashes. Roundabouts can also reduce delays and greenhouse gas emissions. Roundabout Design Many of us in southern Oregon use the roundabout at Siskiyou and Highland as our reference point. However, the Oregon 140 roundabout will be about 200 feet across compared to the smaller urban roundabout in south Medford. Engineers design visual cues into the roundabout. That includes building in a curve to slow traffic along with signs and drainage features. For drivers entering a roundabout, their vehicles have slowed to about 30 mph. Drivers then must yield to vehicles in the roundabout before entering it. Inside the roundabout, drivers should not pass other vehicles and odotmovingahead.com


Oregon 140 Roundabout should signal their intention when leaving the roundabout. “We do geometric design changes to lower speeds even in rural areas. We bring those speeds down so that any crashes that do happen are low severity crashes,” said Haas. “Roundabouts really are the only tool we have for at-grade intersections that effectively reduce or eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes.” Foothill Road extension Jackson County’s extension of Foothill Road is one of several updates planned by the county and the city of Medford. When completed later this fall, the Foothill Road extension and roundabout will create a continuous route traversing the east side of the Rogue Valley between Phoenix and White City. Under the Jackson County’s transportation plan, the Foothill to Atlantic Avenue route will connect to East Dutton Road and

Oregon 62 north of White City. The nearby Oregon 140/Kershaw Road intersection, the scene of many crashes including several fatal ones, will be modified. Once the new roundabout opens, traffic on Kershaw Road will be prevented from crossing the highway. Instead the intersection will be modified to a right-in, rightout, left-in configuration. Upon opening later this October, the Oregon 140 roundabout will be the sixth roundabout to open on a state highway in Oregon. The others are in Astoria, Forest Grove (2), Sisters and Prineville. Two more are in the works on U.S. 20 between Sisters and Bend. “No matter where you travel, you’ll pass through a roundabout,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “Both California and Washington states are using them as a way to safely move traffic through rural intersections.” ■

Scan the code to check out how to drive the Oregon 140 roundabout: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=fiAeQoMJEls

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Oregon 140 at Foothill Improvements

Atlantic Avenue

Atlantic Avenue

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Kershaw Road SPEED

50

SPEED

50

ONLY

Kershaw Road

Corey Road Foothill Road

NEW FOOTHILL ROAD EXPANSION The new roundabout at Oregon 140 and Foothill Road will enhance safety and keep traffic moving. When open, it will be the sixth roundabout on an Oregon highway. The roundabout will open to traffic in October after Jackson County’s new Foothill Road extension to Atlantic Avenue is complete. For traffic bound for Eagle Point and Oregon 140, it will be a safer, more efficient option. For safety, the existing Kershaw Road intersection will be changed to eliminate the highway crossing. Traffic will still be able to use the modified intersection for right in, right out and left in movements. odotmovingahead.com

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I-5 Twin Bridges Deck Repairs

the Caveman Bridge in Grants Pass.

Interstate 5 daytime drivers between Medford and Grants Pass are missing a significant bridge project during the late night hours.

“It has to be dry, and the material is sensitive to temperature,” said Grubbs. “Not too hot and not too cold.”

Beginning about 8 p.m. until early morning, traffic is moved into a single lane to make room for a cadre of construction workers. They begin the night’s hand work of removing and repairing sections of concrete decking on the four I-5 Twin Bridges near Valley of the Rogue State Park.“These four bridges – two in each direction – are past due for repair,” said ODOT Bridge Engineer Bob Grubbs. Each side may take up to six weeks to complete. They were last repaired in the 1980s.

The work is similar to the recently completed deck repairs to the I-5 Medford Viaduct. Like that project, there’s a significant element of risk to the workers since traffic is mere inches away with nothing between them and traffic than a painted solid skip stripe. That’s the case on this project as well, even though the contractor, Truesdell Corporation of Tempe, Arizona, had the option to detour traffic each night onto nearby Rogue River Highway to do the deck repairs.

During the night time work, crews are cutting sections of poor concrete, sometimes by jackhammer, and replace with new fast-setting concrete. Once those area are fixed on the bridge, the deck will get a new overlay of fast-setting protectant, similar to what was placed last year on

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Full detours will still be needed over several nights so the final protective coating is added to the bridge deck. Since these bridges are narrower than the viaduct, ODOT looked at various ways to keep workers safe, repair the

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I-5 Twin Bridges Deck Repairs Header bridges and not impose traffic restrictions. Building so-called traffic “crossovers” was considered in development of the project. But that would have added to the project timeline as well as another half-million dollars to the budget and conflicted with adjacent Valley of the Rogue State Park. “We appreciate everyone’s patience as we do this work – one direction at a time,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. ■

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Header Statewide Construction Projects Welcome to summer and construction season! Oregon has more than 100 improvement projects on our highways and interstates. Please use caution when driving through work zones. You may encounter traffic restrictions, reduced speeds, lane closures, detours and delays. Watch for signs, flaggers and pilot cars to guide you through construction zones. Above all, slow down and please drive carefully! And know before you go! Projects on this year’s statewide construction map are listed by highway type and route number, with many projects listed for the five southwestern Oregon counties.

Construction maps are available at ODOT offices, DMV field offices, ports of entry and many travelrelated businesses. Information is subject to change, especially plans for many of our smaller maintenance pavement projects that are just now coming into focus. Download the construction map: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/ ConstructionMap.aspx For projects in your area: https://www. oregon.gov/odot/Projects/Pages/ default.aspx You can link to all of these through www.Tripcheck.com â–

Scan the code to check out all the projects on the 2020 statewide construction zone map. https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Pages/ConstructionMap.aspx

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I-5 Header CA Border to Ashland Paving When the calendar flipped to April 1 earlier this spring, contractor Carter and Company moved in to the second year of work on Interstate 5 south of Ashland. Their initial intent was to begin rehabilitating the worn southbound lanes of I-5 higher up on the summit than the work they completed last year. The difference this year is COVID-19. It’s changed plans for nearly everything in the country, including this project. “Out of the gate, the contractor was concerned about getting this year’s first stage of work complete,” said ODOT Project Manager Chris Hunter. To meet Carter’s timeline for the first stage, a subcontractor needed to come down from Washington. The uncertainty of that schedule forced project managers to flip this year’s stages: perform the bridge work first and work on the lane replacement last.

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Late in April, with traffic moved into the southbound lanes, two tractors with pincher-like claws moved onto the closed northbound bridge at Exit 6. They quickly chewed through the damaged concrete and steel reinforced bridge deck. Fine detail work needed to be done. While the entire bridge deck would be rebuilt, workers had to be careful not to damage the bridge’s horizontal supports. “We needed about a week to demolish the deck before we could open the old highway to traffic again,” said Hunter. “We appreciate local residents’ patience for that week closure and for the short waits while Carter replaces the deck.” The Exit 6 off-ramp is closed during this stage. The on-ramp has also been closed with the contractor looking for intermittent opportunities to open it.

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Header I-5 CA Border to Ashland Paving for the winter travel season when the contractor’s equipment will be replaced by ODOT snow plows.

for local traffic. Ramp work includes paving the shoulders, repairing the concrete interstate, replacing guardrail and moving power lines to accommodate a new electronic variable speed and message sign.

The 2021 season will see the final year of the project and the replacement of the southbound Exit 6 bridge deck.

Bridge and ramp openings are set for late August. If time allows this season, next comes interstate work similar to last year, only this year higher up the mountain. Between milepost 6.5 near the upper truck escape ramp south to milepost 9, traffic will be switched to the northbound lanes while the contractor repairs the southbound slow lane.

“Next year, we’ll see the same impacts to the interstate, but the Exit 6 ramp accessibility will be better,” said Hunter. ■

Like last year, rutted roadway surface will be repaired or replaced with new concrete. The goal is to have it wrapped up by mid-October in time

Scan code to check out the Exit 6 bridge deck work. Part of the I-5:California Border to Ashland paving project on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=D9yil_js6Zw

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MF-00127055



GLASS. .. It’s what we do! Full Service Glass Shop Since 1954

541-773-1058 Open Mon – Fri 8 to 5 • CCB#168846 229 South Front Street, Downtown Medford A division of BetterView LLC • farrellsglass.com


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