Work is expected to resume April 1 on Hwy. 26 as part of 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.

Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT Community Affairs, noted the first work will include creating access roads for future excavation and blasting, along with re-striping the highway and placing a temporary
barrier to reduce traffic to one lane in each direction.

Blasting is expected to take place in April, but no firm dates have been set.
Dinwiddie added that all blasting must be completed by the end of the 2015
construction season, set for the end of October.

“If they get it done earlier, that would be great,” Dinwiddie said. “It is
possible.”

The contractor, K&E Excavating, will perform work on both sides of the
highway this summer between Map Curve and Mirror Lake, with one lane of
traffic in each direction for approximately three miles. Last year, the one-lane
reduction lasted for 1.5 miles.

Dinwiddie noted that the traffic congestion last year “wasn’t terrible” and
backups were likelier when a heavy truck was heading east (uphill). She
credited motorists for adjusting travel schedules to avoid blast times, which
are the same for this year and can lead to road closures of up to one hour
between 5:30-7:30 p.m. on up to three days per week from Monday through
Thursday.

“We didn’t see terrible tie-ups and we hope it’s the same thing this year,”
Dinwiddie said.

She added that the speed limit in the construction zone will be 45 mph and
that police will be enforcing it.

K&E Excavating is expected to work long days during the 2015 construction
period, from sunrise to sunset every day of the week except Sunday, and may
also work at night.

“We’re trying to stay out of everybody’s way,” Dinwiddie said. “But be aware
that contractors will be out working six days a week.”

Materials removed during blasting will be taken to various sites on the
Mountain, including up Lolo Pass Road and to the Tamarack Quarry near
Trillium Lake. Dinwiddie noted the contractor expects to remove more rock
than last year, which could lead to fewer trucks on Lolo Pass Road, as the two
sites accessed there are set to receive softer material, such as vegetation and
dirt.

When the two sites up Lolo Pass Road are filled, they will be returned to their
natural character.

Dinwiddie added that other aspects of the project include reusing materials
removed from the project area in other parts of the forest, including using
fallen trees for fish habitat in rivers and crushing the rock blasted from the
slopes at Mirror Lake to create a retaining wall that will protect the Pioneer
Bridle Trail (a large pile of rocks now sits next to Hwy. 26 where the wall will
be built).

Dinwiddie reported that a minor rock fall occurred on a bank at Map Curve
that had not been worked on last summer. The debris was enough to cover
the westbound travel lanes, but ODOT was able to clean it up in one day.
Despite the mild winter, there will be no early start date to resume the
project.

“It is tempting to get some work done now, however the contractor does plan
to start work on April 1,” Dinwiddie said.

An online open house is expected to take place during March at
us26mthoodsafety.org with an open house also held from 5-7 p.m. Monday,
March 30, at The Resort at The Mountain.

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

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