PACIFIC NORTHWEST EDITION
A Supplement to:
March 20 2016 Vol. I • No. 2
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.” Your Pacific Northwest Connection – Patrick Kiel – 1-877-7CEGLTD – pkiel@cegltd.com
Highway 20 Project Ready to Move to Phase Four By Lori Tobias CEG CORRESPONDENT
Part 2 of a 3-part series: Project leaders on the Pioneer Mt. — Eddyville Highway 20 project are readying to make the final big push on the last construction phase of this overdue project. Phase four will involve straightening one final hard curve, building buttresses for landslide mitigation, paving, striping and installing guard rails and drainage. Crews also will put in a 28-ft. (8.53 m) culvert under the highway to be used as a wildlife crossing. “This is really the beginning of the end, said Oregon Department of Transportation project leader
Jerry Wolcott. The project to replace 10 mi. (16.09 km) of narrow, twisting roadway with 5.5 mi. (8.85 km) of straighter road with passing lanes and wide shoulders has been in the works in some form or another since the environmental impact statement was completed in 2004. Originally set to open in 2009 at a cost of $150 million, the project is now set to open in the fall of this year at a cost of more than double the original budget. Work was brought to a halt in 2010 when it was discovered that ancient landslides had moved bridge support columns — some more than 100 ft. (30.5 m) tall — out of plumb.
Project leaders on the Pioneer Mt. — Eddyville Highway 20 project are readying to make the final big push on the last construction phase of this overdue project.
In 2012, ODOT took control of the project, originally awarded to Yaquina River Contractors, a subsidiary of Granite Construction Co. of Watsonville, Calif., destroyed several bridges and redesigned the new roadway. Phase four goes to bid April 21 and ODOT expects work to proceed by mid May. “The main focus for this phase four is the west end curve,” Wolcott said. “As we finish the new alignment, there is a hard left-hand turn going west bound. We’re afraid people will pile up in the rock face. So we’re going to straighten that out. We’ll take the last hard turn on the old alignsee HIGHWAY page 8
Logging Industry Holds Expo in Oregon
T
he 2016 theme was “Reaching New Heights With Forest Products,” and not only was the latest in logging technology machinery available for viewing, the seminars and workshops all centered around that theme. Jeff Unger, 2016 OLC president said, “The theme reflects how today’s innovations and modern technology in logging equipment are helping our industry grow with more productive and operator-friendly machines.”
The crowd gathers for the 78th Annual Logging, Construction, Trucking and Heavy Equipment Expo.
Of particular interest was the discussion about cross laminated timbers. Both Oregon State University Dean of Forestry Thomas Maness and Vancouver, B.C., architect Michael Green describe the use of wood when constructing tall buildings as “game changing.” Mannes said Oregon can “lead the way” in the new demand for cross laminated timbers, that will be created when wood is used for tall building construction. Green called using wood to build tall buildings “the most environmentally appropriate way to build our cities in the future,” noting that buildings with cross-laminated timbers are planned for Portland, Ore., and at the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Ore. The most inspiring speaker at the conference was Wiremu Lee Edmonds, sponsored by Waratah. Mr. Edmonds talk was titled “Standing in the Gap,” which included the personal story of the loss of his son in a logging accident in March 2013. Edmonds offered the group who listened intently to his every word, the courage to deal with difficult issues and encouragement to think about safety at all times. Good weather held out for most of the conference with an estisee EXPO page 2
(L-R) are Ryan Baker of C & E Rentals, Eugene, Ore.; Bob Hill, RK Construction; Yosiah Baker; Isaiah Baker; and Steve Baker, shop foreman of Ponsse North America, Coburg, Ore. On display is their newest rough terrain Ponsse Scorpion King, focusing on operator comfort and control in the harshest environments.