BE AWARE! of Oregon Coast Road Construction Projects

The painting of the second bridge is expected to take two months to complete.

Two upcoming road construction project along the Oregon Coast could put a dent in your travel plans. Photo: Salem-News.com

(PACIFIC CITY, Ore. ) - The bridge painting contractor is completing work on the first of three bridges on Ore. Hwy. 130 -- Little Nestucca River Highway -- between Ore. Hwy. 22 and U.S. 101.

On Friday, June 27, the first bridge at milepost 5.11 will re-open and the contractor will begin work on the second bridge at milepost 5.97.

Oregon Hwy. 130 will continue to be CLOSED to through traffic, and properties located between Milepost 5.11 and 5.97 must now be accessed from the west end of OR Hwy. 130. Access from the east on Ore. Hwy. 130 will be CLOSED at Milepost 5.97.

The painting of the second bridge is expected to take two months to complete.

The third bridge at milepost 7.55 is the last bridge to be painted and will begin once the second bridge is finished. All bridge work is expected to be completed by September 30.

Through traffic can use Oregon Highway 22 and U.S. 101 to detour around the area.

Local residents may need to use the detour as well, depending on which bridge is closed.

Signs will be placed to indicate which bridge is closed and advance notification and detour signs will be provided to help motorists plan for added travel time and alternative routes.

The protective paint on the bridges, which were built in the early 1950s, is oxidizing and cracking, and portions of the steel trusses lack paint altogether. The repainting will keep the structures from deteriorating to the point of needing replacement.

The bridges have not been painted since the 1970s, and $1.5 million from ODOT’s Bridge Preservation Fund is funding the bridge repainting.

Safety Project Includes Sections of U.S. 26 and U.S. 30:

An Oregon Department of Transportation project is currently underway that will add centerline rumble strips to sections of U.S. 26 and U.S. 30. The project is part of a larger safety initiative to reduce roadway departure crashes such as head-on, crossover and fixed object crashes

A contractor working for ODOT is currently installing centerline rumble strips on U.S. 26 starting about 10 miles east of U.S. 101 to milepost 37 (about 27 miles). Starting the week of June 22, centerline rumble strips will be installed on U.S. 30 from just west of Clatskanie to just east of Astoria (about 32 miles). During the week of June 29, centerline rumble strips will be installed on U.S. 30 from just west of Deer Island to Ranier (about 8 miles).

Included in the work are sealing and striping which will happen during July. Motorists can expect daytime work on U.S. 26 and nighttime work on U.S. 30 with single lane closures and pilot cars guiding traffic through the construction zone. Expect up to 20 minute delays.

The project is part of the department’s Roadway Departure Initiative which was implemented in 2010 following a study to find ways to help reduce fatal crashes in Oregon and meet a target of reducing fatalities by at least 25 percent within five years.

Data revealed that about 66 percent of fatalities occur when a vehicle departs its lane. The study focused on identifying efficient, cost-effective ways to reduce these types of crashes including curve signing, centerline rumble strips, shoulder rumble strips, alignment delineation (sight posts) and selective tree removal.

Rumble strips are a good tool to draw driver’s attention back to the driving task from being sleepy, distracted, or other reasons for inattention. Centerline rumble strips can help eliminate head-on and other crossover crashes which often involve multiple vehicles and serious injuries.

Source: ODOT