High traffic volume has altered some work for the Oregon Department of
Transportation’s (ODOT) “U.S. 26 Mt. Hood Highway Safety and Preservation
Project,” which will expand the highway and add a 1.6-mile concrete median
barrier to prevent crossover accidents, including pausing work on the Map
Curve section of the highway.

But the project, which began in the spring of 2014, is on track to finish up in
the fall of 2016, according to Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT Community Affairs.
Now approximately half way through the project, some of those people who
pass through the construction zone on a regular basis have a good
understanding of the impact on their daily routines.

Lloyd Musser, curator of the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum, described
the impact on his twice-a-week commute as a “non-issue.”

“They say 20 minutes and except when there was an accident, I’ve never
waited 20 minutes,” said Musser, who has been driving up Hwy. 26 to
Government Camp for decades. “It’s not bad.”

Musser noted that while he’s not a fan of the project, he has no complaints
about how K&E Excavating, the contractor, is performing the job. He added
that he is impressed with how quickly the company cleans up the rock they
are removing and noted the company was even washing its equipment during
the Independence Day weekend.

“That company is something else,” he said. “That’s how clean they are.”

Musser also added that visitor traffic at the museum is up from last year and
from the winter.

Daniel Reed, an employee at the Ratskeller, travels through the construction
zone from Welches six times each week. He noted that prior to the project, he
had to leave 25 minutes to commute to work, but now he leaves 40 minutes
to get there.

“I think they’re doing their best,” Reed said.” I’m sure it’s not a fun job to deal
with people getting mad.”

Cheryl Maki, who also works at the museum and commutes through the
construction zone 10 times a week, noted every week is different, but the
time added to her drive is typically from five to 20 minutes. That’s not a huge
impact, she said, but she also leaves a sign out at the museum reading if
she’s not there by 9 a.m., it’s due to construction delays.

“They’re doing an excellent job down there; they try and get everybody
through,” Maki said. “The company is amazing. I’ve been really impressed.”
Joyce LeDoux, operations manager for the Mt. Hood Express, noted the
service is doing OK through the construction, adding that when the project
began, they asked the contractor to schedule blastings when it would least
impact the service and that K&E Excavating has stuck to that schedule.
LeDoux added that they’ve received a few calls from people waiting at the bus
stop in Government Camp, while the congestion is worse from Thursday
through Sunday.

“No matter what, we’re just going to have to sit through that,” LeDoux said.
Dinwiddie noted that work on the Map Curve will resume after Labor Day, and
will include 24-hour flagging. She added that whatever work is not completed
this fall will be finished in the spring. The contractor will continue working on
drainage in August, focusing on the slopes east of the runaway truck ramp, by
Mirror Lake and on the south side of the highway.

Some slopes have already been seeded, with approximately 7.8 acres of seed
sprayed this summer already, according to Dinwiddie. The project’s website,
us26mthoodsafety.org, is updated weekly or as needed, while motorists can
also visit tripcheck.com for the latest traffic information.

The Mt. Hood Express is also conducting a survey on the service. For more
information, visit mthoodexpress.com.

For 2014 to 2015, work on the project included blasting 71,400 cubic yards,
excavating 207,000 cubic yards, hauling 24,150 truck loads, installing 3,100
feet of rock bolts (help stabilize slopes after blasting) and using 30,600
pounds of explosives.