 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| ConnectOregon projects moving forward |
|
|
|
| ConnectOregon focuses on multi-modal transportation |
In July, the Oregon Transportation Commission approved the recommended list of projects for funding from the ConnectOregon program, the $100 million lottery bond-backed initiative passed by the 2005 Legislature. Some 43 projects were approved. The OTC’s resolution to approve included several requirements that will keep the fast-tracked, multi-modal transportation program moving. ConnectOregon funds, which focus on air, marine, rail, transit and multiple mode transportation projects, will be spread throughout the state, and performance measures will be written into contracts, with funding contingent on each project meeting its contract requirements.
In announcing the OTC’s approval, Governor Ted Kulongoski added that if he is elected governor again, he will advocate for "ConnectOregon 2" legislation in the next session. A complete list and descriptions of approved projects are available on the web site.
|
|
|
|
| Region 1 work shifts into high gear |
|
|
Construction work
Some 16 projects are either currently under way or about to begin in Region 1 (Portland metropolitan area) — almost $200 million in construction projects alone. Highlights include:
-
Interstate 205: Crews will pave over eight miles of the freeway and add auxiliary lanes (one in each direction) for approximately three miles.
-
U.S. 26 (Sunset Highway): Three miles of highway will be paved and one lane will be added between Oregon 217 and Cornell Road. This project also includes the opening of the new Barnes Road on-ramp and the reconfiguration of the northbound OR 217 to westbound U.S. 26 interchange.
-
Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Grand Avenue viaducts: Phase one of this replacement project is scheduled to be complete in October 2006; phase two will commence in November 2006. The technically challenging project, which will keep two lanes of traffic flowing in each direction almost the entire time work is being done, is expected to take about four years to complete.
Maintenance and operations work
-
ODOT Sign crews are currently updating and, where appropriate, changing the school zone signage to reflect the new law. In several cases, the sign updates include the installation of flashing lights.
-
ODOT Striping crews will put down 11,470 gallons of white paint and 10,265 gallons of yellow paint this summer. The crew also installs thermo-plastic striping, and to date, they have ordered 264,000 pounds of plastic for striping. By the end of the year, that figure will likely double.
-
Through the first four months of 2006, the ODOT Litter crew has picked up 2,604 bags of roadside litter. This includes 200 pounds of metal, 960 pounds of glass, 2,500 pounds of paper and cardboard and 520 pounds of plastic. In addition, the crew has collected approximately 4,100 pounds of paper and 2,880 pounds of cardboard from ODOT offices. The crew has recycled 11,116 pounds of the material collected so far this year.
| | more... |
|
|
|
| ODOT actions lauded in hazardous spill |
|
|
|
| Crews work to clean up a spill on Oregon 126 near Noti. |
On July 24 at 5:30 p.m., a tanker truck crashed on Oregon 126, closing the highway just west of Noti to all traffic for 60 hours and spilling 6,600 gallons of gasoline before haz-mat crews could plug a tear in the tank.
The truck, owned by Reinhard Petroleum LLC of Washington, was heading westbound when the driver drifted toward the ditch, overcorrected and flipped onto its side.
ODOT crews were among the first to respond, setting up a detour route within minutes of arriving at the crash site. District 5’s Eugene, Oakridge, Veneta, McKenzie Bridge and Florence Maintenance crews joined together to help with the cleanup and the rebuilding of the highway.
Coordination between the Department of Environmental Quality, ODOT and haz-mat teams helped contain the damage and get the highway re-opened. Haz-mat personnel excavated a 70-foot-long section of the highway to a depth of six feet. The removal of more than 100,000 tons of contaminated asphalt, soil and rock was completed less than 12 hours after the incident occurred.
ODOT backfilled the excavated section of highway immediately and began paving, but high temperatures made the new pavement too spongy to reopen the road. Attempts to cool the asphalt with several applications of water failed. ODOT District 5 Manager Mike Spaeth decided to allow the asphalt to cool over night and reopen the highway to traffic at 4 a.m. July 27. It took a giant team effort, but the collaboration got the road rebuilt and traffic returned to this busy section of highway as soon as possible.
|
|
|
|
| Trucking Online service takes care of business |
|
|
Tousands of trucking companies have discovered the ease and convenience of filling out forms, calculating taxes and more, using Motor Carrier’s Trucking Online web-based service.
-
More than 9,600 companies are signed up.
-
2,600 are based in Oregon.
-
Overall, there are 24,000 trucking companies registered in Oregon; some 47 percent of those based out of state and 29 percent of those based in Oregon are using the service.
-
From January 2003 through June 2006, more than 625,000 transactions or record inquiries that formerly required a phone call, fax, mail delivery or field office visit were conducted on Trucking Online.
Earlier this year, upgrades to the service allowed commercial-plated trucks to transact all of their business online. More than 5,000 companies participate in the International Registration Plan and Fuel Tax Agreement so they can operate in other states and Canada. These companies can currently transact IRP business online, and now they can conduct IFTA business online.
Trucking Online is also branching out into over-dimension permit features, including the ability to report and pay road use assessment fees. In addition, companies can look up a list of permits issued in the past two years, helping them identify what permits they currently have and when a specific permit expires.
On May 31, online business transaction payments set a new record, totaling $137,372 for the day. Some 204 companies used credit cards to pay for online transactions, representing more than 61 pecent of the total weight-mile taxes paid that day.
For more information about Trucking Online, visit www.OregonTruckingOnline.com.
|
|
|
|
| By the numbers... |
|
Motor Carrier
Motor Carrier Transportation staff kept busy in first quarter 2006, generating the following:
Registration fees collected
|
$3,297,592
|
Weight mile taxes collected
|
$58,906,533
|
Weight mile tax audits performed
|
175
|
Unpaid taxes assessed
|
$773,672
|
Total truck and driver inspections
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
|
9,746
4,596
|
Total trucks placed out-of-service
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
|
2,432
455
|
Total drivers placed out-of-service
By MCTD staff
By law enforcement officers
|
1,062
456
|
Trucks weighed on static scales
|
618,706
|
Trucks precleared by Green Light weigh-in-motion
|
333,911
|
Citations issued
|
6,411
|
Warnings issued
|
6,053
|
Trucks required to correct size and/or weight
|
1,185
|
Passenger Rail and Rail Freight
During the firts quarter of 2006, ODOT's Rail Safety Section conducted the following inspections:
Locomotives and rail cars
Defects found
|
1,784
435
|
Miles of track
Turnouts
Defects found
|
469
288
405
|
Grade crossing switches
Grade crossing signals
Defects found
|
24
35
89
|
Hazardous materials
Defects found
|
111
41
|
Railroad facilities
Defects found
|
49
37
|
Rail-served industries
Defects round
|
105
11
|
Driver and Motor Vehicles
DMV staff performed the following activities during the first quarter 2006:
Noncommercial driver licenses
Issued
Renewed
|
33,846
79,143
|
Commercial driver licenses
Issued
Renewed
|
2,051
3,733
|
Vehicle titles issued
|
276,455
|
On-the-road skills test (Class C)
Noncommercial
Commercial
|
21,639
481
|
Class C knowledge tests
Noncommercial
Commercial
|
68,205
2,658
|
Driver record requests processed
|
582,255
|
Vehicle record requests
|
200,413
|
Suspension packet requests from law enforcement processed
|
1,846
|
Dealer inspections conducted
|
264
|
Consumer complaints investigated
|
57
|
Higway Maintenance
Here's how maintenance crews cared for Oregon's state roads during first quarter 2006:
Tons asphalt laid
|
558
|
# Highway miles striped
|
164
|
# Feet guardrail installed/repaired
|
7,299
|
Spent on emergency maintenance
|
$4,519,422
|
Spent on snow plowing
|
$4,103,691
|
Spent on sanding
|
$3,799,195
|
Spent on bridge maintenance/repair
|
$546,873
|
|
|
|
|
| OTIA bridge program continues to support job growth |
|
|
In June, the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, part of the Oregon Transportation Investment Act, sustained more than 4,200 jobs on an annualized basis. This data is based on an economic model that estimates the impacts of economic change. In comparison with June 2005, job numbers increased by more than 2,500. The bridge program resulted in 1,946 direct jobs and 2,290 indirect and induced jobs (supply and support positions not directly tied to actual construction, and jobs created when workers spend their paychecks). The forecasted bridge program jobs, based on the budget approved by the Bridge Oversight Committee, reveals that the number of jobs associated with the program will rapidly accelerate in 2007 to just over 4,000 and will peak at more than 6,000 in both 2008 and 2009. After 2009, jobs will taper off as the program winds down. ODOT estimates that the bridge program will sustain an average of 4,280 jobs annually between 2005 and 2009, and an annual average of 3,100 jobs over the life of the program.
Workforce alliances preparing workers
The Region 5 Eastern Oregon Regional Workforce Alliance welcomed 12 candidates to its recently completed prequalification orientation workshops for potential construction workers. The diversity team assessed the participants with the Profile assessment system, and all 12 tested well for the construction trade. From June 12–16, the Carpenters Union trained the candidates in OSHA regulations, safety practices and tool usage, and guided them through building a demonstration bridge.
As part of its planning process, the Region 3 Southern Oregon Regional Workforce Alliance is reviewing the outreach materials prepared for the Region 1 alliance to aid in targeted recruitments. It is also developing a budget to enhance its ability to address unmet service needs.
In Region 1 Portland Metro Area, the Workforce Alliance is preparing potential apprentices through its contracting with Portland Community College to provide foundational and technical skills for workers in the highway construction trades. As of May 2006, 18 students had completed the six-month training.
|
|
|
|
|
|
