On Thursday, Aug. 13, K&E Excavating hit a milestone while working on the
Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) “U.S. 26 Mt. Hood Highway
Safety and Preservation Project” by finishing blasting on all slopes east of the
runaway truck ramp. Work continues on those slopes, including drainage,
slope stabilization and widening the highway.

“It’s a major accomplishment,” said Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT Community
Affairs. “We’re incredibly pleased. You could just feel the excitement among
the crew as they were getting the last blast cleaned up.”

Following that accomplishment, blasting was suspended and will resume after
Labor Day on the slopes around Map Curve. Blasting will take place from
5:30-6:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, while travelers can
expect to see shipping containers placed in the road for safety and resumption
of 24-hour flagging.

Dinwiddie added that the long range forecast for the fall and winter includes
temperatures that are warmer than average, with the possibility of less
precipitation than usual. Due to this, they have proposed extending the fall
timetable on the project – which will expand the highway and add a 1.6-mile
concrete median barrier to prevent crossover accidents – until the end of
November, followed by cleaning up and returning the road to its usual
configuration by Tuesday, Dec. 15.

Work had been previously scheduled to take place through the end of
October.

If the extended work schedule takes place, Dinwiddie noted K&E Excavating
could complete all the remaining blasting on the project.

“We just want to take advantage of as much of the nice weather as possible,”
she said. “It would just be nice to get (the blasting) over with.”

Inclement weather, such as a snowstorm or icy highway conditions, would
shut the project down for the season, before it resumes next spring. And
regardless of how much longer the project could go into the winter, hauling on
Lolo Pass Road will cease on Oct. 31, as originally planned, according to
Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie added that while it is too soon to know if the proposed extended
work time could push up the completion date of the project, it is still on track
to wrap up in the fall of 2016. She noted that the slopes east of the runaway
truck ramp are a reminder of how much has been accomplished and that the
project’s completion is on the horizon.

“It doesn’t seem very far away, we can see the end in sight,” Dinwiddie said,
noting that some people at ODOT have worked on the project for more than
five years, while some of the original planning took place in the late 1990s.

“We appreciate the patience of the community as well as the travelers for
bearing with this work. We’re getting it done and we’ll be out of there soon.”

The project’s website, us26mthoodsafety.org, is updated weekly or as needed,
while motorists can also visit tripcheck.com for the latest traffic information.