| US20: Pioneer Mountain to Eddyville |
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The US20: Pioneer Mountain-Eddyville project will replace the existing highway with a new section built to modern safety and design standards. The new route will be safer and 3 miles shorter. The new alignment follows the existing route in some locations while in others it will be relocated. Widening the highway will allow interstate trucks to use this route, and also provide additional passing lanes.The total project cost is approximately $150 million.
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| Project Information |
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Project Description
This is a design-build project, which means that the contractor will be completing both the design and construction phases of the project. The project will build seven miles of new alignment, away from the existing highway. The new highway will be wider, which will allow most interstate trucks to use the route unimpeded. New passing lanes for trucks and recreational vehicles, wider bridges, and separating the railroad crossing from the highway are among the many safety improvements resulting from the project. The new alignment follows the existing route in some locations but is more direct and three miles shorter.
Purpose and Need
US20 is a major route connecting the Willamette Valley with the central Oregon coast. It is an important and heavily used commercial and recreational travel corridor providing both regional and local access for residents of rural Lincoln County. The wood products industries rely on the highway to bring their products from forest to mill to market. This is the last significant unimproved section of US20 between Newport and the Willamette Valley.
This section of the Corvallis-Newport Highway is on the original alignment. It is an undivided, two-lane highway through rolling terrain. The highway has many sharp curves, which restrict the size of commercial trucks allowed to travel between Interstate 5 and the central coast. Highway grades range from 1 to 4 percent. The rolling vertical grades limit sight distance and reduce travel speeds. About 90 percent of this highway section is marked for “No Passing.” Combined with growing traffic volumes, the physical characteristics of the highway contribute to traffic congestion, slow travel speeds and serious safety problems. A portion of the route is designated a state Highway Safety Corridor.
Project Development and Construction
ODOT has awarded the contract to Yaquina Rivers Constructors (YRC) a joint venture firm. The joint venture is comprised of California-based Granite Construction Company and Washington-based Wilder Construction Company. The contract signed with YRC is for $129.9 million. The total project budget is approximately $150 million, which includes the design-build procurement and contract administration, completion of the Environmental Impact Statement, development of concept plans and right-of-way acquisition.
The new highway alignment will include at least nine new structures, including the replacement of the Hayes Creek Bridge, on the existing highway. There are over 3.5 million cubic yards of excavation and fill to build the new alignment. Two of the nine new bridge structures have been completed. Most of the right-of-way has been cleared and work started on the excavation and building of fill sections.
Construction Impacts
Traffic delays are not anticipated during most of the construction. Temporary impacts to traffic will occur when the tie-ins to the existing alignment are built.
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| Contact Information |
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Joe Squire, PE, ODOT Project Manager
(541) 757-4158 (office)
E-mail: joe.squire@odot.state.or.us
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