The 2007 construction season is in full swing, and work on the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is focusing on 63 bridges currently under construction and another 55 entering construction later this year. Some 56 bridges have been completed and opened to traffic since the bridge program began in 2003. Here are some other important numbers for March 2007:

 

In addition to supporting Oregon’s economy and putting Oregonians to work, the OTIA program is focused on keeping traffic moving. In March, only one bridge in the active work zones experienced temporary restrictions. No bridges had height or width restrictions, and only one bridge had a weight restriction.

An increasing number of companies are turning to Trucking Online, the ODOT Motor Carrier Transportation Division’s internet-based transaction service tool, to meet their requirements for filing Oregon weight-mile tax reports. When this Web-based reporting and payment feature was first offered in June 2004, only 59 companies filed their reports. Now more than 1,300 companies file this required highway-use-related report online each month.

 

"The growth has been encouraging," said Motor Carrier Services Manager Ric Listella. "It shows companies feel confident using Trucking Online. We know that once carriers try it online, they don’t go back to the paperwork alternative."

 

Listella noted several reasons motor carriers use Trucking Online to file weight-mile tax reports, including the ability to easily meet deadlines, avoid mistakes, save time, print for the file, and verify that filings are received.

 

Trucking Online also allows trucking companies to obtain credentials, file reports, and look up information about their accounts electronically. They can complete more than 33 transactions online. From January 30, 2003, through May 10, 2007, trucking companies and members of the public have used a home or office computer to complete 1,035,451 transactions on Trucking Online.

 

The online service has helped MCTD staff work more efficiently and effectively and provide a great service for their customers.

 

"Many simple transactions are now being completed through Trucking Online," said Listella. "This allows our analysts to focus their attention on more complex transactions."

Noise from Interstate 84 wasn’t just annoying for students and administrators of Wilkes Elementary School in Portland. Teachers were increasingly concerned about the safety of children boarding buses in front of the school because it was difficult to communicate.

 

To accelerate a solution, ODOT advanced funds from an upcoming project.

 

"It’s a good feeling that we were able to get this project done before school started," said David Kim, area manager for ODOT Region 1’s metro district. "It reduces noise, improves safety in the area and perhaps most important, contributes to a better learning environment for the kids."

Yet another step in the recovery of steelhead on a Deschutes River tributary — this one accomplished in record time! In March near Beaver Creek, located on the Warm Springs Reservation, ODOT maintenance crews noticed the stream bank next to the highway eroding fast. They contacted Reservation officials and biologists, and within a week, permits were issued, resources located, and crews organized. The actual work to restore the natural habitat of the streambed and shore up the highway shoulder at the same time took just three days.

 

How many intergovernmental agreements have been signed?

 

How much money has been distributed?

 

How many projects have broken ground or are moving forward?

Thirty-six large, steel-reinforced concrete beams arrived in Medford without incident in April. The deliveries, in groups of two to five beams, took just over two weeks.

 

"These are some of the largest beams ever involved in a state highway project," said ODOT Public Service Representative Bill Boyett. "The beams are in excess of 165 feet — longer than half a football field — and weigh more than 169,000 pounds."

 

The beams are being used in Region 3 for a new bridge spanning Bear Creek between Highland Avenue and the new South Medford interchange. The $70 million South Medford Interchange project is the Rogue Valley’s largest state highway project since Interstate 5 was built.