October’s rain delayed restriping the construction area on Hwy. 26 as work
concluded for this year for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT)
“U.S. 26 Mt. Hood Highway Safety and Preservation Project.”

Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT Community Affairs, noted the restriping was
expected to take place on Monday, Oct. 27 and Tuesday, Oct. 28, weather
permitting, which would restore the highway to its original configuration for
the winter.

“We’re hoping the weather will cooperate to allow us to do that,” she said.
Dinwiddie added that workers are expected to pin a mesh restraint on a slope
west of the Mirror Lake pull off in order to stabilize it.

And while that work may go into November, it will only require closing the
highway’s shoulder and result in no impact on traffic.

ODOT and the contractor, K&E Excavating, will monitor the slope throughout
the winter, according to Dinwiddie.

The project, which will expand the highway and add a 1.6-mile concrete
median barrier to prevent crossover accidents, will not restart before April 1,
2015, but a firm start date is currently unknown.

“We do have Oregon spring break in late March,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s always
a bonus when we’re not mixing construction with spring break traffic.”
Dinwiddie added that more information on when the project will resume
should be available in March.

The project is expected to run each year between April and October through
2016.

Dinwiddie added that ODOT received no reports on accidents on the worksite.
For more information, please visit us26mthoodsafety.org and tripcheck.com.