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| OTIA program keeping Oregon businesses and Oregonians busy |
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| Oregonians are busy and employed on OTIA projects. |
Only three years into the 10-year OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, 80 percent of the projects are in design, under construction or already complete. All this activity means the bridge program is making great strides in stimulating Oregon’s economy and building a strong foundation for continued economic growth. Through Dec. 31, 2006, the bridge program had generated approximately $258 million in total income. Of the 270 firms that have worked on the bridge program, 236 are Oregon firms.
The program has been equally successful at building prosperity for individuals. In the past two years, ODOT has created or sustained 1,963 direct jobs and 2,431 indirect jobs (supply and support positions not directly tied to actual construction, and jobs created when bridge program personnel spend their paychecks). In addition, ODOT’s Workforce Development Plan is working to expand the state’s qualified construction labor pool by creating training and apprenticeship opportunities and by increasing the number of minorities and women in the construction workforce.
With focus on continued mobility during the unprecedented levels of construction, the bridge program prepared alternate routes to keep traffic moving when construction began on interstate corridors. The completion of Stage 1 in October 2006 provides alternative east-west routes for Interstate 84 and north-south routes for Interstate 5, where construction is already under way. In December, only two bridges in the active work zones experienced temporary restrictions.
To keep up-to-date on the latest happenings in the ODOT’s bridge program, visit www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/OTIA/index.shtml.
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| Green Light preclearance saves truckers $13 million |
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Truckers traveling in Oregon saved more than $13 million in 2006 by taking advantage of ODOT’s Green Light preclearance system to bypass weigh stations. In addition to the savings in fuel, wear and tear, and other operating costs, drivers also saved an estimated 112,800 hours of travel time. The southbound Woodburn Port of Entry was the busiest of the 22 Green Light sites in the state, followed by the Ashland Port of Entry, the Woodburn northbound Weigh Station, the Cascade Locks Port of Entry and the Umatilla Port of Entry.
In the past two years, an additional 700 companies have enrolled in Green Light and equipped 10,600 more trucks with transponders. The program now serves 4,100 companies with 40,900 transponder-equipped trucks.
Oregon opened the first Green Light site in October 1997. It started keeping track of green lights in January 1999 when it had four weigh stations preclearing an average of 51 trucks a day. Today, 22 stations have Green Light systems and they’re preclearing an average of 3,700 trucks a day. The system is on track to preclear its 8-millionth truck in March 2007.
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| Cruising the coast made easier through transit project, partners |
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Working in partnership with local merchants and businesses, Lincoln County Transportation created a new service — the "Bay & Beach" shuttle. Designed to alleviate congestion on Newport’s heavily traveled bayfront, the service had over 3,300 riders in its first seven weeks — equal to about one-third of the city’s population!
While the free shuttle is open to all, it is targeted at visitors driving large recreational vehicles. They can park their RVs in larger parking lots and take the shuttle right down to the bayfront, where they can shop along the route and return to their hotel without having to navigate the narrow, busy streets.
Lincoln County Transit Director Cynda Bruce reports that community support has been "tremendous." The service will run regularly during spring break and throughout the summer.
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| ODOT, neighbors agree on safety and enhancement effort |
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| A contract crew uses a crane to remove trees in Portland. |
Some 33 trees loomed precariously above the eastbound U.S. 26 ramp to southbound Interstate 405 in Portland. Occasionally, one would fall into the roadway. But simply cutting the trees down isn’t the way ODOT wants to do business, when it has a choice. Nearby residents were naturally upset that the trees posed a safety hazard; not only were the trees beautiful, but they helped shield the neighborhood from noise and pollution.
After a series of meetings that included the city of Portland Urban Forestry staff, ODOT struck a deal. The trees would come down, with ODOT replanting 33 sturdier, longer-living trees that are more appropriate for roadside landscaped areas. Moreover, residents would have input into not only the type of trees that would be planted (from an approved list), but also where they would go.
The contractor felled the 40-year-old Black Locust, birch and willow trees over a three-day period in early December, and replanting is scheduled in late winter. The new trees will be a mix of maple, pine, Tupelo and Zelkova, as well as a Colorado Spruce. To involve the residents,
ODOT drew up a color-coded map that showed possible locations for the new trees. Flags were placed along the hillside to match the map, and residents were invited to move the flags around as they wished. ODOT is planting the trees and will finish up the $60,000 landscaping project in the spring — with approval and input from neighbors.
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| ODOT works toward Affirmative Action goals |
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| ODOT's efforts increase numbers of qualified applicants. |
Nearly two years ago, ODOT set four lofty goals in the area of affirmative action, and the focused efforts are beginning to pay off. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but Blair Johnson, ODOT’s chief human resources officer, is pleased with the department’s accomplishments.
"Staff throughout the agency has been focusing on our goals," Johnson said, giving his latest report to the ODOT’s executive team. "Overall, our workforce reflects an increase in the number of protected group employees in almost every group."
The four goals for the 2005 – 2007 Affirmative Action Plan, which will remain the same for the 2007 – 2009 Plan, are:
- increase the representation of women and minorities in management positions;
- increase the representation of women in technical positions;
- increase the representation of women and minorities in skilled crafts and maintenance positions; and
- hire and retain qualified persons with disabilities throughout the agency.
Several initiatives are helping ODOT work toward its AA goals, including SOLAR, the agency’s online application process. Since implementation of SOLAR in October 2005, applicant pools have increased 30 – 50 percent per posting, and applicant diversity has increased by 18 percent. ODOT employees are also taking advantage of key training opportunities, which helps the agency retain qualified workers. Throughout 2005 – 2006, more than 650 hours of training occurred in the areas of diversity, employee civil rights and affirmative action.
One of the most important elements of the AA Plan is the identification of barriers to ODOT achieving its goals. By determining what has interfered with progress, the department can reduce the barriers. For example, part of the reason women and minorities are under represented in management is that historically, the department filled these vacancies from within, and that pipeline didn’t include many women or minorities. Now, ODOT is conducting open competitive job searches on wide-ranging scales, resulting in increased numbers of women and minority applicants. Steps like these are bringing the agency closer to its goals, all while gaining the advantages of strong diversity in the workforce.
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| DMV moving toward new anti-fraud technology |
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| Oregonians will see changes in driver licenses. |
DMV is on pace to install "facial recognition" technology by the deadline set by the 2005 Oregon Legislature, and that’s good news for Oregonians. The state law gave DMV until July 2008 to compare new photos taken of applicants against digital photos in the DMV database in an effort to prevent individuals from obtaining driver licenses or identification cards under false names. The big "first step" involves moving to a centralized process for issuing cards this spring.
"The applicant’s photo will be checked against all photos on file after business hours, so the customer will receive an interim card as a receipt prior to leaving the field office," said DMV Administrator Lorna Youngs.
The final card will be produced at a centralized site and mailed to customers a few days later. Most people will get their final cards in five to 10 business days. California, Washington and 11 other states also issue driver licenses and ID cards by mail.
The interim card will serve as proof that the person has qualified at DMV to obtain, replace or renew a driver license, instruction permit or ID card. Valid for up to 60 days, the interim card will look like a black-and-white copy of the final card, except that it will be printed on paper. The interim card’s security feature causes the word "VOID" to appear if someone attempts to photocopy it.
If the facial recognition check finds that a customer’s photo appears similar to an existing photo under a different name, it will alert DMV staff of the possible match. If it’s impossible to tell whether two photos are of the same person, DMV will ask the customer or customers for additional proof of identity before issuing a final card. For details about centralized issuance and facial recognition, visit www.OregonDMV.com.
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| By the numbers... |
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Motor Carrier
Motor Carrier Transportation Division staff kept busy in 4th quarter 2006, generating the following:
Registration fees collected
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$12,196,108
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Weight mile taxes collected
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$69,968,684
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Weight mile tax audits performed
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153
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Unpaid taxes assessed
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$1,055,932
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Total truck and driver inspections
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
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9,599
4,542
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Total trucks placed out-of-service
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
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2,131
370
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Total drivers placed out-of-service
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
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1,019
375
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Trucks weighed on static scales
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551,896
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Trucks precleared by Green Light weigh-in-motion
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352,288
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Citations issued
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6,005
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Warnings issued
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5,226
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Trucks required to correct size and/or weight
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1,031
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Driver and Motor Vehicles
DMV staff performed the following activities during 4th quarter 2006:
Noncommercial driver licenses
Issued
Renewed
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33,850
72,688
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Commercial driver licenses
Issued
Renewed
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1,819
4,107
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Vehicle titles issued
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261,731
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On-the-road skills test (Class C)
Noncommercial
Commercial
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24,242
436
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Class C knowledge tests
Noncommercial
Commercial
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61,657
2,537
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Driver record requests processed
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547,004
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Vehicle record requests
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184,714
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Suspension packet requests from law enforcement processed
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1,666
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Dealer inspections conducted
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206
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Consumer complaints investigated
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148
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Passenger Rail and Rail Freight
During the 4th quarter of 2006, ODOT's Rail Safety Section conducted the following inspections:
Locomotives and rail cars
Defects found
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2,620
714
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Miles of track
Turnouts
Defects found
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490
223
175
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Grade crossing records
Defects found
Grade crossing signals
Defects found
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186
67
74
173
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Hazardous materials
Defects found
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35
11
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Operating practices observations
Deviations found
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36
6
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Railroad facilities
Defects found
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40
70
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Rail-served industries
Defects found
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242
23
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Crossing safety
Defects found
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239
93
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Highway Maintenance
Here's how Maintenance Crews cared for Oregon's state roads during 4th quarter 2006:
Tons asphalt laid
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6,417
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# Highway miles striped
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3,604
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# Feet guardrail installed/repaired
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12,500
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Spent on emergency maintenance
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$4,242,460
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Spent on snow plowing
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$1,956,159
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Spent on sanding
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$2,093,972
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Spent on bridge maintenance/repair
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$ 663,722
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