I-5 construction on Sexton could finish by year end Rock blasting and rolling slowdowns wrapped up last July as prime contractor Knife River Corporation focused the rest of the summer on repaving 17 miles of Interstate 5 and addressing other safety improvements included in the $28 million construction project. According to ODOT Project Manager Ted Paselk, the construction work is moving along smoothly. The project could be completed by the end of 2013. “To speed up construction we allowed Knife River to close the northbound slow lane at night,” Paselk said. “The temporary refuge allowed dump trucks to move in and take material directly from the front end loaders working behind the protected concrete barrier. “If the schedule holds, we’re looking to wrap before winter.” In addition to new pavement and new striping from Hugo north to Glendale, the project will improve southbound curves located south of Smith Hill and will add a northbound climbing lane for commercial trucks, which are notorious for a slow climb over Sexton Mountain. The 12-foot truck climbing lane extends about 2.8 miles, starting as an extension of the northbound on-ramp at the Hugo (exit 66) interchange and ending just beyond the crest of the Sexton Mountain pass. The climbing lane replaces the former shoulder; a new 10-foot shoulder is being built to the right of the truck climbing lane.
Rock blasting ODOT used rolling slowdowns to keep traffic moving during the blasting stage earlier this summer. Pilot vehicles slowed I-5 traffic to roughly 30 miles an hour from both Glendale and Rogue River. I-5 on-ramps in the project area were also temporarily closed during the rolling slowdowns. “The rolling slowdowns gave Knife River about 20 minutes to blast and clean up any rock that blows onto the highway,” Paselk said. Climbing lane construction required closing the I-5 emergency shoulder and placing concrete barriers to separate traffic from the construction work. “This summer it has taken a little more time to travel through this stretch of I-5,” said ODOT Project Information Specialist Dan Latham. “There’s been a lot of construction activity. Drivers still need to keep an eye on the traffic flow. Watch for slow-moving vehicles and quick lane changes.” According to Paselk, an estimated 250,000 cubic yards of soil and rock are being moved to clear room for the new northbound truck climbing lane. Knife River is transferring the material to three areas along I-5 — the Merlin interchange, the Hugo interchange and slightly north of the Hugo interchange along Old Highway 99. “There’s enough material to fill nearly 14,000 18-yard dump trucks,” Paselk said. “These fill locations reduce the hauling cost and, by extension, reduce the overall project cost.”
odotmovingahead.com
September 6, 2013
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