GATEWAY TO ASHLAND
Oregon
A Mail Tribune Advertising Department publication
Department of Transportation
TRUCK INSPECTORS
September
Pursuing problem drivers
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I-5 CLIMBING LANES
2010
September 10, 2010
Oregon’s steepest passes1
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ON OUR COVER Collaboration with community groups and individual citizens sets the stage for eye-catching bridge projects at Interstate 5 exits 14 and 19 in Ashland.
I-5 Climbing Lanes Two new projects address congestion on steep climbs ready yet
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Ashland Bridge Projects Construction ramps up at I-5 exits 14 & 19
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OTC Commissioner David Lohman Transportation needs require dramatic steps
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Truck Safety Inspectors Latest crash records show declines in injuries, deaths
EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Jared Castle, (541) 957-3656 jared.b.castle@odot.state.or.us
CONTRIBUTORS Kristine DeVries Publication Supervisor
Gary Leaming, (541) 774-6388 gary.w.leaming@odot.state.or.us
Bret Jackson Graphic Design
ADVERTISING Dena DeRose, (541) 776-4439 dderose@mailtribune.com For information on advertising in this publication please contact Patti Phillips-Kahn (541) 776-4446 pphillips-kahn@dailytidings.com
April 23, 2011
Steve Johnson Photography Jyll Smith Writing
ion
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INSIDE COVER Motor Carrier Safety Inspector Leslie Elbon inspects a truck at the Ashland Port of Entry. On average, the Port weighs 1,000 to 2,000 commercial trucks per day.
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This feature publication is produced separately from the Mail Tribune’s newspaper editorial department. All content is provided or 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 available upon request.
Sally Ridenour Editing Shelley Snow Editing
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U P C O M I N G P R O J E C T S TAC K L E
TRUCK BOTTLENECKS ON STEEP CLIMBS
Interstate 5 is the primary freight corridor on the West Coast. Along a 150mile stretch from the Oregon-California border to northern Douglas County are seven steep climbs that create significant congestion issues for commercial truck traffic and all other drivers. Two I-5 projects currently in the design phase and slated for construction in 2011 and 2013 will address truck congestion on steep climbs in southern Oregon. The new climbing lanes will not only reduce travel time but also address the trucking industry’s safety and insurance concerns related to driving on shoulders. Commercial trucks use the I-5 shoulders to navigate mountain passes. The new climbing lanes would be built to today’s standards, thereby reducing the need for on-going shoulder maintenance. “Southern Oregon is one of the weak links in the I-5 corridor,” said ODOT Project Leader Mark Leedom, who is managing the I-5: Jumpoff Joe to Glendale Paving and Climbing Lanes project. “On each climb, trucks slow down in the outside lane, which results in congestion and increases the possibility of crashes. “Some trucks negotiate the passes using the outside shoulders. However, the
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each climb, trucks “ On slow down in the
outside lane, which results in congestion and increases the possibility of crashes.
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ODOT Project Leader Mark Leedom
shoulders weren’t built to handle commercial loads. They were built to provide a safe refuge for disabled vehicles.” Similarly, trucks currently using the shoulder drive immediately adjacent to the guardrail, causing significant damage that requires frequent repair. Climbing lanes will create space between the trucks and safety guardrail. The addition of climbing lanes is expected to reduce the frequency of I-5 closures related to commercial trucks on the steepest grades, especially during winter driving conditions. “The project allows the highway shoulders to return to their primary purpose, serving as a safety refuge for disabled vehicles or a chain-up area during winter storms,” Leedom said. “The project also reduces the likelihood of crashes caused by faster moving trucks veering into the fast lane to pass slower-moving
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In 2013, a $49.6 million project will build one or both of the northbound and southbound climbing lanes on Sexton Mountain Pass, between Hugo exit 66 and Sunny Valley exit 71. In addition to the climbing lanes, ODOT will repave more than 14 miles of I-5 north of Hugo. Bridge approaches will be rebuilt in several locations. Substandard and damaged guardrail and terminals will be replaced and substandard median barrier will be upgraded, too. “The scope of the work depends on available funding,” Leedom said. “We started survey and drilling work on Smith Hill Summit and Stage Road Pass Summit as well because it will save money and time should additional funding become available to address these climbs.” I-5: Elkhead Road to Sutherlin Paving and Climbing Lanes In 2011, a $17.2 million project will build two southbound climbing lanes at Sutherlin Hill (mile point 137.6) and Rice Hill (MP 147.3), two of the steepest climbs north of Roseburg.
benefits of adding “ The truck climbing lanes extend beyond Oregon to the neighboring states of Washington and California.
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ODOT Project Leader Elizabeth Stacey
trucks on the steepest grades, especially during winter driving conditions. I-5: Jumpoff Joe to Glendale Climbing Lanes Between Jumpoff Joe Creek (exit 66) and Glendale (exit 80), I-5 traverses three steep summits – Sexton, Smith Hill and Stage Road – where commercial trucks slow down in the outside lane.
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The section of I-5 between Sutherlin and Rice Hill was last paved in 1995, and the blacktop on the northbound lanes between Rice Hill and Elkhead Road dates back to 1986. The roadway is cracked and showing signs of deterioration. The northbound lanes of I-5 will be resurfaced from the Sutherlin (exit 136) to Elkhead Road (exit 154), while the southbound lanes will be paved from Rice Hill (exit 148) to Sutherlin. ODOT will also repave the northbound Cabin Creek rest area (exit 143). “The Federal Highway Administration has recognized I-5 in southern Oregon as having some of the worst steep grade truck bottlenecks in the nation,” said ODOT Project Leader Elizabeth Stacey, who is managing the I-5: Elkhead Road to Sutherlin Paving and Climbing Lanes Project. “The benefits of adding truck climbing lanes extend beyond Oregon to the neighboring states of Washington and California.”
8th-Annual Rogue Valley Business Resource Fair Oct. 2 Everything the business owner will need to know to start or grow their business is available at the 8th-Annual Rogue Valley Business Resource Fair, scheduled for Saturday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center, 101 South Bartlett St. in Medford. This is a free information event for small business owners and those thinking about becoming entrepreneurs and is sponsored by local business and government organizations. You can either register at the event or call (541) 245-7616 and register with the course number Business Fair .001-S1.
• Educational workshops • Resume writing tips • Enhanced job search techniques Community Resources: • Personal finance information • Energy assistance options • Health and wellness programs • Affordable child care options • Educational and training opportunities For more information contact the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department at (541) 476-1187 or www.workinginoregon.org. Hispanic Business Development Seminar Sept. 25
Admission is free to the Josephine County Career & Community Resource Fair scheduled for Thursday, Sept 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Josephine County Fairgrounds in Grants Pass.
The Hispanic Chamber of the Rogue Valley will conduct a Business Development Seminar on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the La Quinta Inn & Suites, 2020 Leigh Way, in White City. The free event is open to potential, starting and existing Hispanic business owners. The seminar is in conjunction with the U.S Department of Agriculture.
Features: • Meet recruiting employers • Career clothing fair
For more information contact Manuela Marney at (541) 535-6277 or HISPANICENTERV@aol.com.
Josephine County Career & Community Resource Fair Sept. 16
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New US 199 passing lane to open later this month
Motorists traveling to the Oregon Coast will soon find the journey a little easier, a little quicker and much safer with the addition of a new passing lane on US 199 (Redwood Highway). A one-mile passing lane will open later this month between existing passing lanes near Wilderville and Hayes Hill. “Redwood Highway has a higher than normal crash rate for rural highways of its type,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “The addition of this passing lane will be another feature in making Redwood Highway safer, along with the added delineation, striping and guard rails of the past few years. U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio helped secure the majority of the federal funding for the $1.8 million project. “Rep. DeFazio saw the need on Redwood Highway and we appreciate his support,” said Marmon. During the summer, the number of vehicles traveling this route between the Oregon Coast and Interstate 5 increases
significantly to nearly 12,000 vehicles a day. The increase is attributed to holiday travelers, many of whom travel in slower-moving recreational vehicles.
RVTD restarts all day service on Route 24 Rogue Valley Transportation District’s Route 24 to east Medford regained all day service earlier this week. The new schedule begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. with service each hour, Monday through Friday. The route travels along Barnett Road, providing service predominantly to the Winco Shopping Center and Rogue Valley Medical Center. RVTD has provided limited service to the east Medford area since last April. The pilot-service operated from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and was intended to gather data on the route’s ridership demand and operating costs. Fixed-route ridership has averaged more than 1,000 trips each
month between April through July and experienced more than an 18% increase since April. “Our staff is very pleased to see ridership gaining so quickly on Route 24,” said RVTD Senior Planner Paige Townsend. “We are happy to once again provide a critical transportation link to this urban area.” RVTD recently received a state grant earmarked for elderly and disabled transportation, which is provided through RVTD’s Valley Lift service. The grant enabled RVTD to move forward with re-establishing service to east Medford, the first priority in the district’s Strategic Business and Operations Plan.
For more information about the Route 24 or to read RVTD’s Strategic Business and Operations Plan, please visit www.rvtd.org or call 541-779-2877.
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CREWS GET BUSY ON ASHLAND BRIDGE PROJECTS Construction is ramping up around Ashland’s Interstate 5 exits – exit 14, Green Springs Highway (Oregon 66) and exit 19, North Ashland interchange.
interchanges,” said ODOT Public Information Specialist Dennis Steers. “The construction work has really just begun. It will get busier.”
“There is nearly $30 million of construction work on tap for Ashland’s I-5
The two construction projects are expected to be complete by mid-2012.
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Destination: collaboration BY JOHN STROMBERG, CITY OF ASHLAND MAYOR
Because of our city’s scenic beauty and cultural significance as the home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the citizens of Ashland are used to making visitors feel at home. When the Oregon Department of Transportation started its process to rebuild the Interstate 5 overpass at Exit 14, we welcomed the chance to collaborate with the project team on aesthetic designs for the bridge structures and adjacent landscaping. We began by forming a nine-member body, the Aesthetic Advisory Committee. It included representatives of the Public Art Commission, Planning Commission, Tree Commission, Bike and Pedestrian Commission, Historic Commission, City Council, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and two area businesses. This group took on the responsibility of representing multiple community perspectives and concerns regarding the Exit 14 design, which serves as a southern gateway to the entire State. John Galbraith, and his Medford-based company, Galbraith and Associates, was chosen to design the landscaping and assist the committee with its work. Galbraith and his team interpreted
feedback from the community and transformed it into architectural renderings that helped the public conceptualize the project. The committee recommended an art deco theme for the bridges, echoing architectural details from the historic 1925 Ashland Springs Hotel downtown. Other proposed design elements included natural-color concrete to blend with the landscape, art decostyle concrete emblems on the side of the bridge and rust-colored decorative railings. To ensure each decision was backed by the Ashland community at large, Galbraith and Associates presented each design draft in a series of open houses that allowed for comment and discussion. ODOT presented the final design proposal to the committee for a vote in summer 2009. Quincy Engineering, the design firm hired for the project, finalized bridge designs in winter 2009, and construction began in summer 2010. We welcome these additions to our community: both the structural elements that show visitors our pride in our community, as well as ODOT and its contractors, our partners in design.
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Steers stays ahead of Ashland project s e r v i n g a s a g e n c y ’s p u b l i c l i a i s o n
Before the first bulldozers cut the ground on a southern Oregon state highway project, Dennis Steers is out ahead, pounding the pavement, meeting with property owners and the general public to inform of the work ahead. As the agency’s Public Service Representative, Steers works as a liaison between the prime contractor, ODOT inspectors and anyone affected by the project. This summer, Steers has traveled throughout Jackson and Josephine counties, helping share information about bridge, paving and interchange construction projects. “I try to put myself in the shoes of the people affected by the project,” Steers said. “You have to look at the big picture – what the contractor is working to accomplish and the construction impacts to the public.”
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Steers’ top priority is currently the Interstate 5 bridge project for Ashland exits 14 and 19. The Green Springs Highway Bridge at I-5 exit 14 is being widened from the center out to accommodate higher traffic volumes and improved bicycle and pedestrian safety. The South Valley View Road Bridge at I-5 exit 19 will be entirely replaced with a new, wider structure. According to Steers, heavy construction is already underway with the overall project expected to be completed by mid-2012. Steers established regular public meetings at each Ashland I-5 interchange so residents and businesses can ask project questions and have their concerns addressed quickly. “These meetings typically occur immediately after the project meeting between the contractor and ODOT inspectors,” Steers said. “This ensures that we have fresh, accurate news to share during the public meetings.” Steers joined ODOT in 2009, replacing Bill Boyett, who served nearly a decade
My parents run a family “business, so I understand
how important it is to know what is happening outside your front door.
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ODOT Public Service Representative Dennis Steers
as the public liaison for the department on road projects in Grants Pass, Gold Hill, Jacksonville, Ashland and Medford. Raised in the Klamath Falls area, Steers worked for private contractors in southern Oregon before taking on this new challenge. “The best thing about this position is meeting people on their home turf,” said Steers. “My parents run a family business, so I understand how important it is to know what is happening outside your front door. “A lot of things can change a contractor’s schedule – weather, equipment or staffing – so, my goal is to provide the best information available now.”
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Seven Oaks Interchange project nears end as Interstate 5 paving wraps up
Interstate 5 paving is expected to wrap up later this month around the Seven Oaks interchange (exit 35) north of Central Point. If all goes as planned, the project will be finished before the end of the year. Prime contractor Legacy Contracting Inc. of Salem, moved the southbound I-5 travel lanes to their permanent configuration in July. The $31 million Seven Oaks Interchange project constructed a new, wider Blackwell Road overpass; new on- and off-ramps to the I-5 interchange; and two new I-5 bridges over the Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad tracks. The old Blackwell Road overpass was functionally obsolete. The interchange draws higher volumes of traffic, especially freight and aggregate trucks, than might be expected from looking at the interchange’s rural surroundings. Truck volumes increase northeast of Central Point, where haulers travel to and from White City from the Seven Oaks interchange.
Aggregate, concrete and asphalt trucks travel through the interchange daily to access the gravel pits and road building companies located around exit 35. The reconfigured southbound I-5 offramp includes a traffic signal at the end of the ramp and provides more storage capacity for vehicles. “The old off-ramp couldn’t handle more than a couple cars if they were turning toward White City,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “The improvements at Seven Oaks will not only make the interchange safer than it was before, but will also accommodate the growing traffic volumes.” Wet weather last spring delayed the project schedule. Final roadwork was dependent on warmer temperatures and dry weather. Contractor changes Legal and contractual problems during construction led to ODOT terminating its contract with prime contractor Ross Bros. and Co. of Brooks, Ore. The Seven Oaks Interchange
The agency’s $1.3 billion OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is repairing and replacing hundreds of bridges across the state to ensure the unrestricted movement of freight and spur economic growth.
Of the 365 bridges in the program, 65 are currently under construction, and another 199 have been completed and open to traffic. Ninetythree bridges do not require repair or replacement.
OTIA III is the third Oregon Transportation Investment Act. The $2.46 billion package allocates $1.3 billion to the bridge program and $1.16 billion to fund county and city maintenance projects, local bridge repair and replacement work, and modernization projects statewide.
Through 2009, the bridge program created or sustained more than 16,000 jobs. Overall, the 10-year bridge program will sustain an annual average of approximately 2,300 jobs.
Oregonians had not seen an investment of this magnitude in highway and bridge construction since the state’s interstate freeway system was built in the 1950s and ’60s.
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In 2008, the program spent more than $218 million on construction, design and program management. Of those expenditures, 85 percent went to Oregon firms. Since work started in 2003, businesses and individuals have earned more than $921 million after taxes.
Interstate 5 traffic navigates through the Seven Oaks project work zone
project was one of a few projects around the state that ODOT allowed the successor company, Legacy Contracting Inc., to complete. ODOT inspectors were later brought in to oversee the work and ensure contract provisions were followed.
“Seven Oaks has been a difficult project,” said Anderson. “We originally planned for an October 2008 completion date but contractor issues delayed the work. The goal is still to complete the project and bring the interchange up to today’s safety standards and specifications.”
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Oregon 140 Project improves traffic flow from I-5 to White City
Prime contractor Knife River Corp. is on schedule to complete a $5.9 million project later this year that will improve traffic flow on Oregon 140 (Kirtland Road) northeast of Central Point. “This project is needed because of the large volume of trucks and other traffic that travels from Interstate 5 at exit 35 to the White City area,” said ODOT Public Service Representative Dennis Steers. “The project will improve the roadway and the time it takes to move between those destinations.” Later this month, Knife River Corp. plans to close the intersection for a weekend to complete the final stage of work. The contractor will notify the public in advance using electronic message boards at key intersections leading to the work zone that recommend alternate routes.
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According to Steers, this project will remove the stop sign for westbound traffic at Kirtland Road. Travelers on that roadway will continue through a new curve and intersection, which acts as an extension of Oregon 140 in White City to the Blackwell Road interchange. The project also adds a Kirtland Road undercrossing for bicyclists and pedestrians, which will become part of the Rogue River Greenway. An exchange of roadways between ODOT and Jackson County several years ago set the foundation for this project, which is the first step of a possible fourproject improvement to move traffic more easily from White City to I-5. Future improvements are focused at Agate Road and Leigh Way, Agate Road and Avenue G and Avenue G, Pacific and Kirtland Roads.
Oregon 62-Owen/Coker Butte project businesses are open during construction
Motorists are seeing fresh ribbons of concrete placed on the west side of Oregon 62, curbs that will form the edge of a new and improved roadway on one of the busiest highway sections in Medford. The Oregon 62 Owen-Coker Butte project in northwest Medford will improve safety and traffic flow, and reduce congestion on Crater Lake Highway and Crater Lake Avenue. Since construction began last June, prime contractor Knife River Corporation is doing much of the work either off the highway shoulder or out of the way of traffic. The work on the east side of Oregon 62 realigns Crater Lake Avenue. Blue business access signs are up to notify motorists that both driveways and businesses are open during construction. “Safety and congestion will be improved both on city streets in north Medford and Crater Lake Highway,” said Medford City Engineer Larry Beskow. The two-year project makes the following transportation improvements: • Moves the Cardinal Avenue traffic signal south to the improved Owen Drive, which becomes a four-way intersection; • Limits right turns only at the intersection of Cardinal Avenue and Oregon 62;
• Closes the existing Webfoot Road and Coker Butte Road intersections east of Oregon 62; and • Improves Crater Lake Avenue by moving it farther east from Oregon 62 at both Owen Drive and the new fourway Coker Butte intersection. This will improve the safety of the intersection by removing the frequent conflicts that arise because the intersections are too close to one another.
For more project information visit the project website: www.ci.medford.or.us
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OREGON INSPECTORS
pursue problem truck drivers Oregon truck safety inspectors were at it again in a special exercise last July checking logbooks to make sure drivers don’t spend too much time behind the wheel.
“We focus on truck driver inspections as our key strategy for reducing truck-atfault crashes,” McKane said. “Last year, there were 497 truck crashes in Oregon where the truck caused the wreck, and in 467 of them the truck driver caused it. Only 30 of those crashes were because of some mechanical problem.”
During a five-day period of non-stop work at both of the Ashland weigh stations on Interstate 5, as well as the Klamath Our training staff is Falls and Bend weigh Analysts who study nationally known to stations on U.S. 97, truck crashes find the be among the best in they inspected 676 most common causes drivers and placed are speeding, followNorth America. 168 out-of-service for ing too close, unsafe Motor Carrier Transportation critical safety violalane change, and Division Safety Program tions. Most violations fatigue. Law enforceManager David McKane were for driving after bement addresses those ing on duty 14 hours, drivproblems with traffic violaing more than 11 hours, and tions, but ODOT safety inspecholding logbooks that are not updated, tors address the fatigue problem by improperly done, and/or falsified. Drivers checking logbooks. placed out-of-service are not allowed to drive a truck again until their problem is It turns out that Oregon inspectors are corrected, which takes up to ten hours. showing everyone the way to effectively find problem drivers. According to FedAccording to Oregon DOT Motor eral Motor Carrier Safety Administration Carrier Transportation Division Safety (FMCSA) records, Oregon ranks well Program Manager David McKane, the above every other western state in the multi-day Southern Oregon exercise rate that its inspectors find drivers with was one of six or seven undertaken critical safety violations. For one reevery year. cent 12-month period, the FMCSA lists
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(ABOVE) Working from the pit, Motor Carrier Safety Inspector Leslie Elbon inspects a commercial truck at the Ashland Port of Entry. (OPPOSITE) Motor Carrier Enforcement Officer Jeff Fairbanks mans the scales at the Ashland Port of Entry.
Oregon with 56,450 truck inspections and a 15% rate for placing drivers out-of-service. Only Wyoming, with 19,447 inspections and an 11% driver out-of-service rate, comes close. And nationally, safety inspectors place drivers out-of-service at only a 6% rate. One team of Oregon inspectors that has outperformed all others was recently nominated for an award available to only the best in North America. A five-
man team called Oregon’s Safety Shift 4, which includes Harold Smith from the Motor Carrier Division’s Medford safety office, was nominated for this year’s Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance International Safety Team award. Oregon’s team specializes in finding the sneakiest truck drivers, particularly those trying to avoid inspections by driving the back roads in the middle of the night or parking somewhere to wait things out.
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Motor Carrier Safety Investigator Barry Brown reviews a truck driver’s permit book.
In just their first year as a team, Safety Shift 4 conducted over 2,100 inspections and compiled an overall driver out-of-service rate of 28%. But during the hours they worked the areas around special inspection exercises like the recent one in Southern Oregon, this group turned in a 52% driver out-of-service rate.
said. “By simply entering a license plate number, an inspector can be well on the way to havWe focus on truck ing what’s needed to driver inspections verify a driver’s record as our key strategy of duty status.”
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for reducing truckat-fault crashes.
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Motor Carrier Transportation Division Safety Program Manager David McKane
“Our training staff is nationally known to be among the best in North America,” McKane said. “We provide inspectors with advanced interview techniques and the observation skills they need with drivers.” ODOT’s Motor Carrier Transportation Division is responsible for training and certifying the more than 500 inspectors at work in Oregon today. In terms of tools, McKane notes that inspectors have access to DMV license suspension data and they use the federal Inspection Selection System, which exposes high-risk operators. “We’ve also developed software unique to Oregon that lets inspectors see a list of citations, warnings, and weigh station records for any period of time,” McKane
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The latest crash reports suggest that ODOT’s efforts may be paying off.
McKane noted that truck crash totals for 2009 show that last year was remarkable. In Oregon, crashes involving trucks were down 28% and truck-at-fault crashes were down 26%. There were a total of only 906 truck crashes, 354 fewer than in 2008. It was determined that the truck was at-fault in 497 of the crashes, 172 fewer than in 2008. “A check of crash records as far back as 1980 shows this is the first time that truck crashes have fallen below 1,000 total and truck-at-fault crashes have fallen below 500 total,” McKane said. The end-of-year 2009 report includes the news that there was a decline in both injuries and fatalities. Truck crashes resulted in 32% fewer injuries and 15% fewer deaths in 2009. A total of 343 people were injured last year, 159 fewer than in 2008. A total of 29 people were killed, 5 fewer than in 2008.
ES ON
e g d i r B t n i o P k oc
THE FIN G N I T T PU
TOUCH ISHING
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The historic Rock Point Bridge is on track to fully reopen by late October, once the finishing touches on the yearlong project are completed. Rock Point Bridge spans the Rogue River northwest of Gold Hill and is a key connector that links I-5 traffic to tourismrelated businesses like Del Rio Vineyard and the House of Mystery. The span is also a notable feature on the popular Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway.
“gotTheacontractor lot of work done during the summer.
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ODOT Public Service Representative Dennis Steers
The full bridge closure, which started after the Labor Day weekend, is necessary to refinish the bridge deck and pave the bridge approaches. However, ODOT kept its promise to area businesses and the Gold Hill community by reopening the bridge to one-way traffic prior to the Memorial Day weekend, the official start of the summer tourism season.
The partial opening accommodated tourists traveling from Interstate 5. Construction continued on the west bridge rail during this period, working behind a concrete barrier. “The contractor got a lot of work done during the summer,” said ODOT Public Service Representative Dennis Steers. “The last stages of work would be impossible without a full closure given the width of Rock Point Bridge.” The $3.9 million rehabilitation project targets the bridge’s damaged deck and side rails as well as cracked concrete beneath the bridge. Prime contractor Wildish Standard Paving of Eugene is using rebar-enforced concrete to replace the bridge’s original concrete rails and urn-shaped balusters and applying a new bridge deck to the nearly 90-year old historic structure. Difficulties arose earlier this year as more deterioration was found in the historic bridge than ODOT had anticipated. Part of the cause was incomplete drawings dating from the bridge’s original construction in 1920, adding to the repair delays. When it became apparent the rehabilitation project would not be completed within the original timeline, ODOT adjusted the plans to reopen a single lane of traffic for the summer tourism season.
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Dramatic steps required to address
OREGON’S TRANSPORTATION NEEDS
By David Lohman, OTC Commissioner
Oregon has used smart transportation investments and its strategic geographic location to attract the flow and manufacture of traded goods. As a result, manufacturing and trade are central to Oregon’s economy – much more so than in most other states. Manufacturing and the transport of externally-traded goods are still Oregon’s best hope for short-term economic recovery and long-term growth, despite the current downturn in world trade. However, this hope is tenuous. Oregon’s transportation system has not kept up with demand. Comparatively, Oregon’s highways are not as bad as some other states’. If you’ve driven Interstate 5 from Redding to Sacramento or many roads in Idaho, you know what I mean. In some parts of Oregon, however, congestion is significantly slowing the flow of goods, as well as commuters. And across the state, deteriorating pavement and bridges are producing potholes, cracks and safety hazards. Rising road construction materials costs, normal inflation, and dwindling federal and state gas tax revenues (partly because of better gas mileage) have combined to limit the state’s and lo-
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cal jurisdictions’ financial capability to perform cost-effective maintenance or to add more road infrastructure in response to population growth and new development. Federal and state gas taxes, which provide most of the funding for Oregon’s transportation system, did not increase from 1993 to 2009, despite major increases in fuel prices. Fortunately, with strong support from business and local governments, the 2009 Oregon Legislature enacted an increase in fuel taxes and vehicle-related fees that will be taking effect over the next few years. Additionally, prior dedication of some lottery-generated funds and creative use of bonding authority are helping address critical transportation needs. Even with these recent boosts to the state’s share of transportation funding, the backlog of unmet transportation needs is expected to grow over the next few decades unless further fairly dramatic steps are taken. What accounts for this backlog? Apart from inflation and declining gas tax revenues because of better gas mileage, are the available funds being well spent? Are they being spent on projects of greatest benefit to the state’s transportation system? Are these funds getting diverted to meet non-transportation needs?
Meaningful answers to most of these and similar questions take more than a few sentences. But a few points in the limited space afforded here may at least provide some background for further discussion. Part of the statutory charge to the five members of the Oregon Transportation Commission is to make sure the transportation funds the Department of Transportation manages are spent only for transportation projects and are spent wisely. “Spent wisely” is a subjective term; more on that below and in future columns. My experience so far with ODOT leaves me certain it is expending the state and federal transportation funds in complete compliance with state and federal requirements barring the use of fuel tax revenues and vehicle-related fees for non-highway purposes. Interestingly, however, the “silo effect” that results from these well-intended limitations sometimes rules out consideration of potentially more effective solutions to a particular transportation problem. At least in some cases, expanding highways or building new ones can end up being more costly in terms of budgets, as well as lifestyle impacts, land consumption and air quality, than developing our new urban areas in ways that tend to limit demand for roadway capacity and foster busing, biking and walking. But funding for transportation facilities other than highways is extremely limited. Sometimes, the inflexibility of the transportation funding silos even requires expenditures on new roads at the expense of funding for critical maintenance on existing highways.
Insufficient and inflexible funding sources for meeting growing transportation needs are not problems unique to Oregon. But Oregon’s high dependence on transportation as a mainstay of our economy makes it important for Oregon to make the smartest possible transportation decisions. We need to become — and, in the world of companies that transport goods, to be known as — a leader in developing transportation policies, programs and funding mechanisms that respond to the foreseeable realities of significant demographic changes, declining gas tax revenues, constrained land availability, and stricter air pollution limits.
About David Lohman Appointed to the Oregon Transportation Commission in January 2008, David Lohman is a lawyer in private practice in Medford and Ashland. He served as Director of the Port of Portland’s Policy and Planning Department from 1992 to 2003 and was the Port’s delegate to Metro’s Joint Policy Committee on Transportation. He also served as Deputy Director of the Oregon Economic Development Department from 1987 to 1991.
About the Oregon Transportation Commission Appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate, the five-member Oregon Transportation Commission meets monthly to set state transportation policies and oversee ODOT activities. Commissioners’ compensation is $30 per day for OTC meetings.
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continued from page 23 ODOT distributed detour maps to local businesses and placed detour signs in the area to assist drivers traveling back to I-5.
and Banfield, Portland) solved the problem by building a temporary wood truss span over the bridge to give support to the forms.”
Bridge history The Rock Point Bridge was unveiled in 1920, a time when Oregon’s paved roads totaled only 620 miles and its designer, Conde B. McCullough, had barely settled in as Oregon’s state bridge engineer. McCullough would later go on to leave a legacy of beautiful bridges along Oregon’s coast. Both his trademark aesthetics and efficient, custom-designed spans are present in the Rock Point Bridge.
The bridge’s south approach was replaced in 1953. In 2000, the Rock Point Bridge underwent expedited repair work to strengthen the crossbeams, which lifted a 10,000-pound weight restriction on the span.
McCullough illustrated how form could complement function and the nearby landscape. Using a reinforced concrete deck arch, he designed a 505-foot span bridge over one of the rockiest sections of the Rogue River, hence the name Rock Point. According to Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon, construction was a challenge: “Because of the great depth of water at the bridge location, it was impossible to build falsework under the main arch span. The contractor (Parker
Conde B. McCullough McCullough arrived in Oregon in 1916 to teach engineering at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). A pioneer of the movement to create a well-planned American highway system, McCullough argued that bridges should be built efficiently, economically, and aesthetically. He became Oregon’s state bridge engineer in 1919. His legacy of beautiful bridges lives today and most of his bridges are considered significant landmarks. Historical photographs of Oregon bridges are available online at the ODOT History Center: www.oregon.gov/ODOT/CS/ BSS/historycenter.shtml.
For more information about the rehabilitation work, visit the project web site: www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION3/234_rock_point_bridge.shtml.
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September 10, 2010
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