Contractors were expected to begin paving Hwy. 26 on Sunday, Aug. 28 as
the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) “U.S. 26 Mt. Hood
Highway Safety and Preservation Project” nears the finish line.

“(We are) on the final stretch of this project,” said Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT
Community Affairs.

Dinwiddie noted that remaining work includes the paving, adding the median
barrier, drainage work, installing new signs and cleanup. She added that
paving will take place “pretty much” night and day for approximately four
weeks (not including weather delays), with lane closures and flagging
occurring at night, while paving outside the travel lines likely during the day.
Work could potentially finish up in October, but could go longer.

“There are things that could slow us, down, but we plan to go at it strong,”
Dinwiddie said.

The median is expected to be installed in late September, followed by
drainage inlets that will necessitate all traffic driving on one side of the barrier
at a time.

“It’s just going to be a little awkward for travelers,” Dinwiddie said.

Dinwiddie added that a ceremony is in the works to mark the end of the
project, which includes the expansion of the highway and the addition of a
1.6-mile concrete median barrier to prevent crossover accidents.

“The community has been through so much with this project and we
appreciate that,” Dinwiddie added.

The project also featured early work on adding RealTime signs, offering up to
the minute traffic information and advisories, including electrical vaults.

Dinwiddie said construction for that project could begin when the snow melts
in 2017, but added that the work would be “nothing like” what drivers
experienced over the past three years and the sign project should be finished
in one season.

Dinwiddie also cautioned that when the barrier is added to Hwy. 26, vehicles
will be unable to access the Mirror Lake trailhead from the westbound lanes. A
new trailhead is currently in the works.

For more information, please visit us26mthoodsafety.org and tripcheck.com.