Pacific Northwest 26, December 18, 2022

Big River Construction Repairs Large Landslide in Astoria

Big River Construction and scaling company Triptych were tapped to make emergency repairs to a landslide that occurred on U.S. 30 on Nov. 27 that saw 10 truckloads of rock and mud dumped on the highway, approximately 20 mi. east of Astoria

Crews from Big River Construction are working to clear debris from a landslide that has closed part of U.S. 30 near Astoria in northwestern Oregon.

The Oregon Department of Transportation estimated the landslide dumped 10 truckloads worth of rock and mud on the highway approximately 20 mi. east of Astoria, The Oregonian reported. The road is a major east-west thoroughfare that connects Astoria to Portland.

“This was a large landslide compared to other landslides that we get in the coast range,” said ODOT Maintenance

District 1 Manager Mark Buffington. “The rock was definitely larger than what we are used to. We usually just get mud and trees. It was more than 1,000 cubic yards of material. We have two scaling crews instead of just one. It’s much taller [higher] than the slides that we are used to having.”

The landslide has blocked more than 100 ft. of roadway and was likely triggered by rain and strong winds, the agency said in a news release.

The slide of the rocky hillside occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 27 at milepost 74 east of Astoria. At the time, the

debris left on the U.S. 30 closed the road in both directions.

ODOT said it has removed a commercial truck that was caught in the rubble but that it still needs to be towed. The truck was the only vehicle damaged in the landslide, and no injuries were reported.

“It is too dangerous and complicated to run traffic during the day,” Buffington said at the time of repairs. “We are attempting to bring in another team of scalers hoping to double our efforts.”

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Wash. State Transportation Plan Earns Top National Award

Washington state’s Active Transportation Plan has been named the winner of the People’s Choice Award in the national 2022 America’s Transportation Awards. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sponsor the annual contest. This represents the first time ever in the competition’s 15-year history that an active transportation plan has won the honor.

All 12 finalists in America’s Transportation Awards were eligible to win the People’s Choice Award, which is based on total votes received through online voting. The totals are weighted by the state populations, so bigger states don’t have an unfair advantage over smaller states. State departments of transportation encouraged voting through a variety of means, from internal reminders to staff to playful messages on social media.

The award brings with it a $10,000 check for the charities of WSDOT’s choice. Onethird goes to WSDOT Memorial Foundation that preserves the memory of its workers who died on the job and provides assistance to active and retired employees and their families in times of need. The other two recipients are statewide nonprofits that participated in the plan’s stakeholder steering committee, promoted involvement in the plan’s outreach phase and serve on the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council: Cascade Bicycle Club and Disability Rights Washington.

The ATP became eligible for the finalist round when the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials named it as a regional winner in June, which moved it on to the national competition. As the People’s Choice Awards voting was under way, the Washington state chapter of

the American Planning Association also recognized it with an award for transportation planning at their annual conference.

Besides being the first active transportation plan to win the national award, the ATP is also the first-ever analysis of Washington state highways that looks at how well they work for people who need to walk, bike or roll along or across them. It’s the first effort to really quantify the features of the roadway, traffic volume and traffic speed that tell us we’ll make it better and easier to use active transportation if we make some changes. And it’s the first time the state plan has been named in legislation as a resource to identify where improvements will make a difference, in the Move Ahead Washington transportation investment package passed in 2022.

About Active Transportation Plan

The Active Transportation Plan 2020 and Beyond is a compass for creating the future of walking, biking and rolling on or across state highways in Washington. It is used in decisions to help connect people to where they want to go, whether they use active transportation for the whole trip or just a part of it, such as the walk to a bus stop, the bike ride to work or rolling home from a ferry terminal.

Plan Highlights

• Addresses factors most often associated with traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries, such as higher driving speeds and

roadway crossing issues;

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• Considers ways to correct for the effects of past infrastructure decisions on active transportation safety and mobility, particularly in places where those decisions affected transportation access and health;

• Provides a first-ever needs assessment of the state system for active transportation use;

• Gives a cost estimate for walk and bike improvements on the state highway in population centers;

• Introduces the concept of a statewide bikeways and trails network;

• Uses “level of traffic stress” as a quantitative tool to evaluate the state system with a focus on state routes in population centers and how they affect people’s ability to use active transportation;

• Addresses the burden of out-of-direction travel for pedestrians and bicyclists, which was informed by WSDOT’s Multimodal Permeability Pilot, published in August 2021;

• Sets performance metrics to monitor progress;

• Lists strategies needed for WSDOT and partners to move ahead with the work;

The Active Transportation Plan 2020 and Beyond is based on comments from public outreach. It includes both chapters published as Part 1 in May 2021 and the final chapters that received public comment as Part 2 in the fall 2021. The plan is intended to lead future policy decisions, investments and improvements.

(All photos courtesy of Washington Department of Transportation.)

One-third of the funds will go to the WSDOT Memorial Foundation which preserves the memory of its workers who died on

job and provides assistance to active and retired employees and their families in times of need.

Two recipients are statewide nonprofits that participated in the plan’s stakeholder steering committee, promoted involvement in the plan’s outreach phase and serve on the Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council: Cascade Bicycle Club and Disability Rights Washington.

Women Forestry Experts Gather at Inaugural Congress

Nearly 500 participants, in-person and virtually, from 38 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces and eight additional nations attended the inaugural Women’s Forest Congress (WFC) in Minneapolis.

Attendees used their diverse and collective expertise to develop strategies and solutions and propose resolutions to address today’s and tomorrow’s most pressing challenges for forests and women.

“This is the first time I’ve been in a room with so many women connected to forestry,” said Ebonie Alexander, executive director of Black Family Land Trust and WFC advisory council member. “The Women’s Forest Congress was by far one of the absolute best professional events I’ve ever attended; it brought everybody together and will help change where we go as a profession.”

Congress Themes Drive Engagement

The themes addressed at the Congress included leadership for equity and inclusion; workforce opportunities for increasing recruitment, retention and advancement; women as catalysts for change; addressing today’s greatest forest challenges and supporting each other.

“The world is relying on the forest and forest products sector to provide solutions to environmental challenges, and when we embrace diverse perspectives to bring to the table all these voices that have for so long been missing from the conversation — we end up with the best possible innovations,” said Tia Beavert, Tribal Forest manager, Yakama Nation Tribal Forestry and WFC advisory council member.

The WFC provided a space to discuss these themes and to inform the creation of the WFC resolutions that call for change in the forest and forest products sector. Attendees had a chance to influence the resolutions. The 39 delegates, nominated and selected to represent diverse experiences and perspectives, listened throughout the Congress, completed their deliberations, and presented the final document at the close of the Congress.

“With almost 500 participants and more than 40 financial sponsors, the Women’s Forest Congress proves that a dream can become a reality when you put like-minded women together,” said Antomia “Mia” Farrell, associate dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, who emceed the event. “This is only the beginning.”

ApprovedResolutionsWFC

The 2022 Women’s Forest Congress Declaration was endorsed at the inaugural 2022 Women’s Forest Congress and is summarized by the concluding call to action in the document.

The Women’s Forest Congress challenges organizations in the forest and forest products sector to:

Foster workforce opportunities for all women through mentorship programs, professional development, scholarships, with a particular focus on reaching out to those who need help or are asking for assistance in any part of their

journey;

Broaden recruiting practices to include wider networks, and build a pipeline of talent by connecting with and showcasing forests and the forest and forest products sector to youth and students, creating job shadowing and internship opportunities, etc.;

Build workplace systems that support mental health coverage, and include training and programs promoting healthy lifestyles, such as family leave, flexible work schedules, generous vacation plans, social opportunities and holistic wellness programs;

Promote a variety of working environments, encourage flexibility and ensure all work environments are fully acces-

sible;

Enable employees to prioritize mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health and model healthy behaviors for others;

Create a safe, inviting and welcoming workspace for all resulting in greater wellness, increased retention, higher productivity, improved creativity and heart-centered decision-making;

Assess compensation for women and promote paths to pay equity at all levels, including discrepancies in intersectional identities, communities, and demographics;

Intentionally identify and support more women and those from underrepresented groups to achieve leadership positions;

Increase the use of storytelling in conferences, trainings and workshops; and

Apply models and frameworks to generate and realize solutions to the greatest forest challenges that are built on women’s strengths, such as inclusive, collaborative, and multi-scale holistic thinking.

The participants of the 2022 Women’s Forest Congress, its supporters and partners commit themselves to advance these actions through their organizations, networks, partnerships and spheres of influence.

Networking for Today, Tomorrow

Women from across the forest sector shared professional and personal experiences, shaped the latest innovations and considered how their actions can have the most profound effect on forests today and tomorrow.

The chance to interact with a community of approximately 500 women was one of the highlights of the Congress. The diversity at the Congress showed a shared commitment to creating community and cultivating change. All were welcome: women and allies of all ages, perspectives, cultural backgrounds, professional levels, abilities, and education, as were trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming participants.

“I’m excited to act on new ideas, to build our personal capacity and inspire ourselves and others to act,” Nadine Block, senior VP, community and government relations, Sustainable Forestry Initiative and WFC delegate. “We will continue to find ways to move forward together.”

About Women’s Forest Congress

The Women’s Forest Congress is a forum to develop strategies and solutions for forests through an inclusive lens. Women throughout the forest space have come together to share personal and professional experiences, connect with other women in the sector, shape the latest innovations, and consider how actions informed by their perspectives can make a profound impact on the future of forests.

The Women’s Forest Congress envisions a forest community where there is universal equity, inclusion and a shared sense of belonging. All voices are heard, supported and empowered. The influence and impact of all are manifest in our relationships with forests.

For more information, visit womensforestcongress.org.

“This is the first time I’ve been in a room with so many women connected to forestry. The Women’s Forest Congress was by far one of the absolute best professional events I’ve ever attended; it brought everybody together and will help change where we go as a profession.”

Ebonie Alexander Black Family Land Trust

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Spokane, WA 3515 N. Sullivan Rd Spokane Valley, WA 99216 509.534.5933

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Large Landslide Closes Highway as Crews Remove Debris

LANDSLIDE from page 1

Crews removed approximately 650 cu. yds. of debris from the road surface the following two days after the landslide – representing approximately one-quarter to one-third of the rock and soil from the landslide.

Work remaining before one lane can reopen:

• Removal of the two large sections of hillside that are on the verge of sliding and large enough to block the entire highway;

• Clearing enough debris on the road surface to provide space for crews to continue work and to catch any new smaller rock slides;

• Repairing guard rail damage, any pavement damage and setting up a single lane detour with flaggers for alternating eastbound and westbound traffic flow.

While repairs are ongoing, ODOT said that it has reopened one lane of the highway, but more time will be needed to fully open U.S. 30 to travelers. Crews have made progress on cleaning up debris, but they still must repair pavement damage and remove two large sections of hillside that are on the verge of sliding. An ODOT geologist identified the sections, which would be big enough to block the entire highway again should they fall, the news release said.

“There is no estimated date when we can reopen additional lanes due to the amount of material that needs to be removed,” ODOT said in a statement. “We are continuing to scale large sections of loose rock that are on the verge of falling, as well as the debris from the original landslide.”

On Dec. 11, ODOT released an update that said one of lane of U.S. 30 between Astoria and Clatskanie has reopened. 

(All photos courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation.)

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