ODOT has several large projects in the work for Josephine County
The Oregon Department of Transportation has several projects in the works for Josephine County that will increase safety and mitigate congestion along area highways.
Today, we are looking at the scheduled paving for I-5 from Hugo to Glendale and additions to the interstate around the Mt. Sexton summit.
The project is funded by the 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act and costs approximately $47 million. Construction will begin in the spring of 2013 and is scheduled to continue for two years.
A major focus of the project will be an addition of a third northbound lane on Mt. Sexton that will reduce some of the dangerous congestion caused by trucks. ODOT PIO Gary Leaming says the truck traffic can be dangerous on this summit. “It’s a safety problem when you have such a speed disparity between trucks that are climbing and regular vehicle traffic going 65 mph. As we all have experienced, we’ve had a truck pull out in front of us that’s going a little faster than the truck ahead of him and we’ve had to slow down drastically to avoid a rear end,” Leaming said.
The curve at milepost 73 southbound is a little off and Leaming says that will be fixed to increase safety. He adds that the three summit section of the interstate is in need of paving.
Tomorrow, we will look at plans to build a new and better Applegate River Bridge on Redwood Highway.
Posted on 9/12/12 7:17PM by Jared Dill
