A Mail Tribune Advertising Department publication
ODOT
18 2018
May
Oregon 62 Expressway
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Oregon 99 Enhancement
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Ashland’s Summer Repairs
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Shady Cove’s Improvements
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Fruitdale Intersection
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May 18, 2018
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EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
CONTRIBUTORS
Jared Castle, 541-957-3656 jared.b.castle@odot.state.or.us
Jaren Hobson Graphic Design
Gary Leaming, 541-774-6388 gary.w.leaming@odot.state.or.us
Steve Johnson Photography
ADVERTISING
Brian Fitz-Gerald Illustration
Athena Fliegel, 541-776-4385 afliegel@rosebudmedia.com
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Shelley Snow, Shonna Zimmermann 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.
Bridge Decks Rehabilitation
Road construction or maintenance at any time of day presents unique safety challenges. Add daytime traffic and congestion and a crash can soon back up traffic and present secondary (rear end) crashes that completely shut down the road.
Measures include lowering work zone speed limits from 55 MPH to 45 MPH with a posted construction advisory speed of 35 MPH. ODOT will require electronic message boards and portable rumble strips that will be laid down and picked up nightly.
Two bridge rehabilitation projects in Medford, nighttime work on the Interstate 5 Medford viaduct, and daytime work on the Barnett Road overpass will test driver and worker safety this summer. The $1.5 million rehabilitation project will extend the life of the bridge decks and provide a better and smoother driving surface.
“The portable rumble strips are a new safety device for us to alert drivers.” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming.
While nighttime work benefits from less traffic, additional danger comes in the form of impaired drivers, whether they are under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or something else, like lack of sleep. “The margin of safety is thin,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “With only orange barrels separating our contractor and inspectors from nighttime traffic, we need to put in place several measures to help keep them safe.”
Another safety measure will be the Medford Police Department’s speed van. The van will mobilize in the work zone with photo radar. In 2013, the Oregon Legislature reviewed a pilot project using photo radar in work zones and made the program permanent. Advance warning signs will alert travelers when photo radar enforcement is active. “This summer’s bridge work in Medford will be the first time an I-5 work zone employs photo radar outside the Portland metro area,” said Leaming.
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BRIDGE DECKS continued on page 6
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Bridge Decks Rehabilitation
Barnett Road Overpass
BRIDGE DECKS continued from page 5 According to Fletcher, the Barnett Road overpass, which was built before I-5 opened in 1962, is structurally deficient.
The photo radar device takes two photos when it detects speeding: the first photo is of the approaching vehicle; the second is of the vehicle driving away to record the license plate. The registered owner will receive a speeding ticket in the mail.
The deck is a patchwork of previous repairs that now affect the bridge’s load capacity. Local commuters attest to the poor deck condition, feeling each patched pothole.
Medford Viaduct More than 50,000 vehicles travel across the Medford viaduct daily. It is necessary to complete the bridge deck repairs at night to keep traffic moving. One I-5 lane in each direction will close 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’ on the deck to prepare it for resurfacing with a multi-layer, polymer concrete overlay.
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“The contractor will chain drag the bridge deck to find the bad spots, repair them, and then prepare the deck for a new overlay,” said ODOT Region Bridge Engineer Bob Grubbs. The project schedule is for rehabilitation on the Barnett Road overpass during daytime hours with one lane of traffic open in each direction. Travelers should expect delays and, if possible, consider alternate routes during the peak traffic hours.
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Oregon 62 Expressway Commuters who have navigated construction work along the Oregon 62 corridor between Interstate 5 and Delta Waters Road over the past two years can look forward to relief as the first phase of the Oregon 62 Expressway project wraps up.
“For commuters on Crater Lake Highway, that means fewer closures, orange signs, and barrels.”
“The next project phase will focus primarily on the new expressway and away from traffic,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming.
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EXPRESSWAY continued on page 8
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Oregon 62 Expressway
EXPRESSWAY continued from page 7
The $120 million project is designed to increase capacity and improve safety. The Oregon 62 Expressway improves a critical business connection for commercial freight, tourism and commuters from Medford to east destinations.
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north, spanning Coker Butte and Vilas roads, and connecting at a signalized intersection with Oregon 62 near Corey Road.
The corridor between Poplar/Bullock Roads and Delta Waters Roads will also feature new sidewalks and bike lanes. On the north side of the highway, part of the old Medco multi-use path will reopen for pedestrians and The concrete surface bikes to connect will perform well in from the Delta Center. The Our southern Oregon path features weather. We expect a new riding to get decades of surface as well as lighting. maintenance-free use.
Prime contractor Knife River Materials is constructing a 4.5-mile, fourlane expressway — ODOT Area Manager that connects “After two years of Art Anderson near I-5 Exit 30 construction work, and diverges from phase one is coming the Crater Lake Highway together at the south southeast of the Rogue end of the project area,” said Valley International-Medford Airport. Leaming. “Knife River installed sign The new expressway, which will be bridges, moved concrete barrier, and named the Rogue Valley Expressway put down new pavement along the (see page 10 for details), extends Oregon 62 corridor.”
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Oregon 62 Expressway More Concrete While Knife River wraps up at the south end of the project area, construction work on the Rogue Valley Expressway will continue until December. Crews poured the concrete bridge deck for the new Vilas Road overpass last month. “Much of the work on the Rogue Valley Expressway will be out of sight and out of mind for commuters and the summer tourism traffic using the Oregon 62 corridor,” said Leaming. Knife River has poured more than nine lane miles of concrete road surface. This summer, it will bring back its portable concrete plant off Helo
Drive to produce large quantities of concrete on site, making a quick trip to the paving machine. “The concrete surface will perform well in our southern Oregon weather,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “We expect to get decades of maintenance-free use.”
Oregon Oregon 62 62 Directional Directional Interchange Interchange 11
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Whittle Road Whittle Road
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LANDMARKS LANDMARKS
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Del Taco Del Taco All RV Needs All RV Needs Hubbard’s Hardware Hubbard’s Hardware Starbucks Starbucks Discount Tire Discount Tire
Rogue Valley Expressway Rogue Valley Expressway
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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 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 99 Enhancements A $5.4 million highway improvement project designed to enhance safety and livability along Oregon 99 from Talent south to Ashland is already underway with work scheduled throughout summer. Prime contractor Knife River Materials broke ground late last month, starting off by excavating new storm water drains and crossings on Oregon 99 between Rapp Road and Creel Road. “Excavating storm water drains is necessary ground work before construction transitions to curb, gutter and sidewalks and new pavement,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming.
who navigated last year’s utility relocation work, this summer’s construction work should be much less stressful. “There will still be lane closures but ODOT inspectors will be on site daily to monitor traffic control and road conditions and keep business access signed and open,” said Leaming. The project schedule plans to finish construction work on the east side of Oregon 99 between Rapp and Creel Roads before switching to the west side. Then, the contractor will repave and restripe Oregon 99 from the Talent city limits south to Ashland.
For construction weary businesses along Oregon 99 and the commuters
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ENHANCEMENTS continued on page 12
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Oregon 99 Enhancements lane configuration because of the weave-and-merge traffic that accesses Interstate 5, nearby businesses and the Bear Creek Greenway.
ENHANCEMENTS continued from page 11 The city of Talent contributed $400,000 to the project. Talent officials see the project as means to contribute to a stronger business corridor by providing better visibility and better, safer access for businesses and their customers.
The project will build bike lanes south of South Valley View Road where, on average, nearly 17,000 vehicles use the highway daily. This will benefit bicyclists who use Oregon 99 to connect to Bear Creek Greenway.
“It’s not just safety but also livability and economic potential for Talent,” said Talent Mayor Darby Ayers-Flood. ODOT hosted a project open house in Talent last winter.
“We’re accommodating vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians and making Oregon 99 safer for residents and business customers who need to make a left turn,” said Leaming.
“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, biking or walking the corridor.” Transit Options RVTD’s Ashland Route 10 bus stops along Oregon 99 will remain open and, generally, unaffected during paving, a combination of daytime and nighttime work, later this summer. “With ODOT’s help, we’ll keep our riders and drivers informed of the project as it progresses to keep everyone safe,” said RVTD Operations Manager Tim D’Allesandro. New Bike Lanes South of Talent, the Oregon 99 section from South Valley View to Jackson Road will remain in its current five-
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Summer Work Zones with concrete barriers; we schedule work at night, when traffic volumes are lower; and we provide more training for our construction project staff to manage work zone traffic control. We’ll continue to work hard to make our work zones understandable and clear as possible but we need your help to maintain safety. Here are eight things you can do to make summer safer for everyone: By Art Anderson Rogue Valley Area Manager
1. Slow down when you see orange signs, barrels and barricades.
A relatively mild Oregon winter brings the added benefit of allowing us to start our construction on schedule, without trying to accommodate a huge backlog of repairs to slides, sinks, and cracks caused by water in all its forms (ice, snow and rain). Whether we are paving, pouring concrete, rebuilding roadbed, striping, applying a chip seal or a crack seal, warm, dry summer weather and transportation projects go together like peanut butter and jelly.
2. Obey posted speed limit signs.
Summer is our busiest season.
8. Plan ahead. Call 511 or visit www.TripCheck.com.
More construction work for us means more work zones for you. In fact, traffic volumes increase more than 50 percent on average during the summer and climb even higher along popular tourism routes. Our construction plans take the increased traffic into account. We stop work on our highways during major summer holidays — Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day — to keep traffic flowing and prevent work zone crashes.
3. Don’t tailgate. 4. Increase your following distance. 5. Merge well in advance. 6. Turn on your emergency flashers if traffic is slowing or stopping ahead. 7. Use alternate routes during the peak traffic hours.
Our team works continuously to improve our construction work zones. We separate work from traffic
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About Art Anderson As ODOT Area Manager for the Rogue Valley, Art oversees state highway construction projects in Josephine and Jackson counties. He represents ODOT on the Rogue Valley Area Commission on Transportation, the regional advisory group that plays a key role in the development of the agency’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
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Summer Travel the summer, an increase of 26% compared with the other months of the year.
The summer travel season is approaching and, while the saying “getting there is half the fun” is true, getting there safely is crucial to a great summer trip.
• Distracted driving is the cause in 60% of teen crashes.
We are entering what the National Safety Council refers to as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” the stretch from Memorial Day Weekend until the Tuesday after Labor Day Weekend. The statistics are horrifying, especially for teenagers: • Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. • Teens have the highest crash rate of any age group. • An average 260 teens are killed in car crashes each month during
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Take responsibility behind the wheel seriously. Prepare before taking a long trip and use common sense safety tips to ensure you get to your destination safely. Project Map ODOT’s annual Summer Project Map highlights summer work zones around Oregon. This valuable resource, which encourages safe and smooth travel, is available for free at locations around the state, including Driver and Motor Vehicle Services offices, truck stops,
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welcome centers, and ODOT offices. You can also download the map online at http://www.oregon.gov/ ODOT/Pages/index.aspx. Know Before You Go For current road conditions, including construction activity, motorists can call 511 or go online to TripCheck. com. A quick visit can help you avoid traffic congestion, work zone delays, or hazardous road conditions. Give yourself plenty of extra time. Construction zones, traffic jams, or other incidents can add delays. That extra time will help cut down on excessive speeding and tailgating.
Visit www.TripCheck.com and click on the Twitter page to learn more. TripCheck TV allows users to create a custom display of road condition information and camera images. Our agency partners with Waze, a crowdsourcing app that allows anonymous users to report traffic and weather information. ODOT integrates Waze reports into TripCheck to improve your travel experience. Travelers in Oregon can dial 511 to access the same immediate road and weather information available on TripCheck. (Note: 511 does not have access to Waze data.)
TripCheck information is also available via Twitter (@oregondot).
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Ashland’s Summer Repairs Prime contractor Carter and Company will pour new concrete decks on the twin Interstate 5 bridges spanning Crowson Road south of Ashland. The $2.5 million rehabilitation project will occur during daylight hours and should take about three months to complete. The work requires a traffic crossover, allowing the contractor to close one bridge while removing, rebuilding and pouring a new deck with a new concrete wearing surface. The Crowson Road bridges, which are located near the Siskiyou Summit chain up area, date back to mid1960s when I-5 first opened. The decks are old and in poor shape with significant concrete spalling. The use of deicer chemicals and salt for winter maintenance leads to the premature deterioration of concrete bridge decks through corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Once the rebar starts to corrode they in turn cause the concrete to spall and deteriorate.
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“Hydroblasting will remove where the concrete is poor,” said ODOT Lead Bridge Engineer Bob Grubbs. Hydroblasting utilizes high-pressure water to remove deteriorated concrete, providing an excellent bonding surface for repair material and new coating applications. Unlike jackhammers, hydroblasting does not produce vibrations throughout a structure and therefore does not introduce micro fractures. “About half the depth of the concrete deck will be removed,” said Grubbs. “Once repairs are made, the bridge will receive a new concrete deck.” Preacher Slide Preacher Slide is a historic, chronic slide located on the Old Siskiyou Highway (Oregon 273), just east of the Southern Oregon landmark, Callahan’s Mountain Lodge. Several temporary fixes over the past seven
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years managed to hold back the slide at milepost 6 and repeatedly reopen the highway until ODOT could schedule a permanent repair. This summer’s $2.2 million slide repair project will build a rock buttress designed to hold the slide in place as well as a slope drainage system that will divert water away. “Unfortunately, the construction work necessitates a full closure of Old Siskiyou Highway for roughly a month,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming. The detour will require travelers to use Oregon 66 or I-5 during the slide repair work. “That’s a longer detour for residents, the delivery drivers who travel it daily, and summer tourists.”
also involved installing a large rock buttress and a new drainage system. “Our agency’s regional slide budget is focused heavily on U.S. 101 in Curry and Coos counties,” said ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon. “We’re pleased to finally schedule permanent fixes for the slide on Greensprings Highway and, now, the Preacher Slide on Old Siskiyou Highway. Our Ashland maintenance crew returned to these two locations each spring and summer to begin repairs only to see the slides break away again the following winter.”
Last summer, ODOT wrapped up a slide repair project on another perennial headache, locally known as the “Crack of Doom,” on the historic Greensprings Highway near the Cascade summit. That slide repair
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Project Updates Interested in receiving Rogue Valley project updates via text or email? Sign up online: https://goo.gl/wbR3nH
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Ashland Rest Area “This new facility will help enhance and inspire the journey of those returning to Oregon or visiting our state for the first time,” said Travel Oregon CEO Todd Davidson. “Oregon tourism is an $11.3 billion industry that directly employs more than 109,000 Oregonians. Opening a welcome center at such a significant entry point to the state will help drive economic growth.”
ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher is ready to begin the second stage of construction for the new I-5 Siskiyou Rest Area and Welcome Center. If all goes as planned, work should begin this summer. ODOT is currently reviewing the only bid submitted, from Adroit Construction of Ashland. The multi-agency facility is located two miles south of Ashland along Interstate 5. The second stage builds the Cascadia-themed welcome center and rest area facilities. The gateway theme for visitors will be environmentally friendly with a sustainable ethic that complements the Welcome to Oregon sign at the California border and interchange aesthetics constructed at Ashland Exits 14 and 19.
First Stage Completed Prime contractor Wildish Standard Paving of Eugene completed earthwork, paving and drainage during the first construction stage. That work included grading and paving of the I-5 on- and off-ramps and the facility’s parking lot.
The city of Ashland will provide potable water and sewer service to the facility. The Talent Irrigation District will provide water for landscaping. Tourism Impact
“We’ve provided emergency service access to the facility both via the service road as well as at an I-5 crossover,” said Fletcher.
The Oregon Travel Experience will ultimately manage the facility’s daily operations, serving northbound I-5 travelers heading north from California. The Oregon Travel Experience currently manages 29 rest areas at 17 locations around the state as well as 10 travel information centers along Oregon’s most heavily used highways.
Safety Improvements
Other ODOT partners, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Tourism Commission are the “go to” experts on what to do, where to stay, and what to see when visiting Oregon. According to them, welcome center visitors are high-yield travelers. A Travel Oregon survey of overnight visitors to welcome centers in 2016-17, showed that visitors spent on average nearly 3.8 times the amount per trip compared to the average overnight visitor to Oregon.
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A service road was constructed east of the Crowson Road overpass to deliver materials during construction and, later, for daily operational needs, including staff and deliveries, and emergency service vehicles.
ODOT constructed restroom facilities for commercial truckers at the Ashland Port of Entry, which is located between Ashland Exits 14 and 19. The agency closed the old rest area in 1997 for public safety, following a series of commercial truck crashes in the facility. The rest area was located on a steep Siskiyou Pass grade two miles south of the current project. Project Updates Interested in receiving Rogue Valley project updates via text or email? Sign up online: https://goo.gl/wbR3nH
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Shady Cove’s Improvements
Oregon 62 is the main road and Prime contractor HGC, Inc. made the there are no parallel routes through most of an unusually dry and mild the community. In the work zone, Oregon winter to forge ahead on the pedestrian paths are clearly marked. $2.7 million enhancement project Now, new crosswalks provide along Oregon 62 in Shady safer passage with Cove. All of the major pedestrian-activated work including final lights to warn paving is now drivers before complete, just people cross the in time for We stayed focused highway. Memorial Day on keeping walkways Weekend, the open, driveways “We’ll be official start of out of Shady the summer accessible, and Cove after tourism parking connected. final striping, season. placing signs, — ODOT Project Coordinator and resetting “Everything is Shawn Daw manhole covers,” going great,” said ODOT Project said Shady Coordinator Shawn Cove Mayor Tom Daw. “This project had Sanderson. a lot of moving parts. We The contractor’s challenge was the stayed focused on keeping walkways Memorial Day Weekend deadline, open, driveways accessible, and considering the many weatherparking connected.” dependent elements of the enhancement project on Oregon 62. SHADY COVE continued on page 20
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Shady Cove’s Improvements SHADY COVE continued from page 19 The project’s community enhancements include: • New curbs, gutters, sidewalks and bike lanes on the Rogue River side of Oregon 62 from the Rogue River Bridge to the north side of Chase Bank. • New sidewalks from Chaparral Drive north to Cleveland Street. • New crosswalks and rapid flashing beacons north of Rogue River Drive and between Chaparral Drive and Williams Lane. • New left turn lane on Oregon 62 from the Rogue River Bridge to Williams Lane. • New right turn lane with sidewalks from Rogue River Drive onto southbound Oregon 62. “Our agency greatly appreciates the Shady Cove community’s patience with this project,” said ODOT Area Manager Art Anderson. “We know
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it hasn’t been fun for residents and travelers to navigate our work zone. However, we’re excited to put the final touches on enhancements this community urged us to build. And we’re confident residents, businesses and summer visitors will enjoy the finished project.”
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City Hall
New right-hand turn lane added to Rogue River Drive
✔Curb, gutter, sidewalk work complete
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Crosswalks with Rapid Flashing Beacon warnings
Sidewalks and bike lanes
LEGEND
Shady Cove School
Cleveland Street
Phil’s Frosty
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Chaparral Drive
Chase Bank
Shady Cove Oregon 62 Enhancement
Rogue River Drive
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Fruitdale Drive Intersection
it’s just a matter of time before The “South Y” interchange — the another happens.” junction of the Redwoods Highway (U.S. 199), Williams Highway (Oregon ODOT recorded more than 70 238) and the Rogue River Highway crashes over the past decade at the (Oregon 99) — is notorious for being Fruitdale Drive intersection with one of the highest traffic more than half occurring areas in Grants Pass. over the past three At the south end of years. Most crashes the “South Y,” the I’m concerned occur during Fruitdale Drive about people and the afternoon intersection commute. on Williams the number of Highway wrecks…it’s just “Drivers wait (Oregon 238) a matter of time to cross,” said is similarly Miller. “Some notorious for before another have trouble owning one of happens. with depth the highest crash — Grants Pass Irrigation perception, reading rates in southern District Manager Don Miller speed and whether Oregon. an oncoming driver is going to town or not. “I hear the car crashes Some change their mind at the or screeching of tires from near last minute and there’s a crash.” misses,” said Grants Pass Irrigation District Manager Don Miller. His office This summer, ODOT plans to modify is near the intersection, located on the Fruitdale Drive Intersection to property off Fruitdale Drive, where, eliminate the westbound crossing periodically, crash vehicles and other (shortcut) across Williams Highway. debris land. “I’m concerned about people and the number of wrecks…
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the Fruitdale Drive intersection is a The modified intersection will short-term solution. There’s allow drivers on Fruitdale a lot of community Drive to make a concern this change right turn onto will add more Williams Highway, Until we can begin a congestion to directing them the “South Y” downtown, long-term study of interchange and allow the “South Y” area, and our drivers on the choice is clear. agency southbound shares those Williams We need to modify this concerns. Highway intersection to reduce to turn at its high crash rate. “There’s Fruitdale Drive. need for a better solution The Fruitdale — ODOT District Manager Jerry Marmon that will require Drive intersection more collaboration is nearly 60 years old. between ODOT, the city Overcapacity is one of of Grants Pass and the local the many reasons attributed business and residents. Until we can to the high crash rate. begin a long-term study of the “South “Most of the crashes are caused by a Y” area, the choice is clear. We need failure to yield,” said ODOT District to modify this intersection to reduce Manager Jerry Marmon. “Modifying its high crash rate.”
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SUMMER TRAVEL continued from page 15 Work Zone Tips • Orange — cones, signs, lights — is your clue to slow down. • Pay attention and expect the unexpected inside a work zone. • Don’t tailgate. Maintain extra space behind the vehicle you are following for better reaction time. • Pay attention to driving, especially in the transition zone before you see workers and equipment. • Get in the correct lane well in advance and remember work zone traffic lanes often are narrow, without shoulders or emergency lanes. • Move over to give workers more room between them and your vehicle. • Be aware of temporary construction accesses on either side of the roadway. • Watch for construction vehicles and don’t follow them as they travel into and out of the work areas.
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March 9, 2018
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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
Caveman Bridge
The $5.3 million Caveman Bridge rehabilitation project in Grants Pass now enters a more robust construction phase that soon will necessitate full-night closures and traffic detours. At the same time, special project provisions are in place for no-work weekends and evenings to ensure bridge work doesn’t interfere with Boatnik and other summer community events. “Grants Pass hosts several major community events from May through August,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Gary Leaming. “Our project team designed the bridge rehabilitation schedule to reduce impacts to businesses and travelers as well as support vital community events in Grants Pass. “We’re trying to balance the needs of the project and the community, especially for those businesses located near Caveman Bridge relying on summer tourism for their livelihood.” Community Events 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. The Hellgate Jetboat Excursions, which began its season earlier this month, is another major tourism magnet near Caveman Bridge. Over the last six decades, visitors from all over the world have taken trips up and down the wild and scenic Rogue River and through historic Hellgate Canyon with 100-foot-high cliffs made famous by the cliff-jumping scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Meryl Streep in River Wild. The pedestrian path for Hellgate customers to board the boats is located directly under the bridge. For everyone’s safety, the project schedule calls for stopping bridge work on the path between 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. Project Development The city of Grants Pass, the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce, and adjacent businesses collaborated with ODOT to develop
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Caveman Bridge CAVEMAN BRIDGE continued from page 25
the project. Information collected from that collaboration showed that any construction-related lane closures would quickly cause traffic — nearly 19,000 vehicles daily — to back up through the city. “Caveman Bridge is an important connection for the city and its identity,” said Colene Martin, President-CEO of the Grants Pass and Josephine County Chamber of Commerce. “We know it will take some time to complete and have some impacts but in the end, it will all be worth it.” Rehabilitation Work Prime contractor HP Civil Inc. works from a platform under the bridge, which serves as the gateway to the Redwood Empire in southwest Oregon and northern California. Attached by cable, the platform provides safe and sturdy access to the heart of the 86-year-old bridge. “This rehabilitation project is the first major upgrade to the historic structure since its construction in 1931,” said ODOT Project Manager Tim Fletcher. “So far, the night work involved removing old bridge rail and replacing it with prefabricated rail that is identical in appearance but meets current crash standards.” Strengthening Caveman Bridge involves repairing exposed steel rebar, injecting the cracks with epoxy, and installing titanium rebar. Night Closures The project schedule allows for twelve full-night closures. Detour signs will
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alert motorists to use M Street and the Debs Potts Bridge on U.S. 199 to travel across the Rogue River during these closures. During this time, business accesses located on the north end of the bridge will be open and well signed. “No one will be surprised when it comes to the night closures on Caveman Bridge,” said Leaming. “We will have several weeks lead time based on the contractor’s schedule. Before each night closure, we will ring our bell loudly and spread word throughout the community.”
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