HWY26 So what Changed?

[Guy]

So am I wrong or do we have exactly the same number of lanes on HWY26 now as we did before that giant works project started? Did we just gain the concrete barrier down the middle? I though we were supposed to end up with 2 lanes in each direction?

Confused.....

[adamschneider]

Maybe they were just shoring up the hillside and/or widening shoulders?

[Webfoot]

The official website says:

What are the main project elements?

• Paving between Silent Rock and OR 35
• Cutting back the rock slope on the west end of the project for rock fall mitigation
• Highway widening to install a median barrier
• Installing a median barrier between the east‐ and westbound lanes for about a 2.5‐mile stretch from east of  
          Kiwanis Camp Road to east of Mirror Lake trailhead
• Construction of a retaining wall to reduce impacts to existing trail from highway widening work
• Extending the westbound passing lanes for a total of about 1,400 feet

After "three years, 51,000 pounds of explosives, 317,804 cubic yards of excavation and thousands of truck trips" we have a Jersey barrier, a quarter mile of extra passing lane, and a theoretically reduced probability of rockfall. I hope it was worth it.

[retired jerry]

wasn't that a particularly dangerous section of highway with cars crossing to the other side and head-oning cars going the other direction? With fatalities? Because of the curviness of the highway along with the fact it's often icy?

The Jersey barrier will make a big difference.

And there was frequent rock fall blocking the highway?

It would be tough making that 4 lanes because then they'd have to cut into the slope a lot more.

[Guy]

wasn't that a particularly dangerous section of highway with cars crossing to the other side and head-oning cars going the other direction? With fatalities? Because of the curviness of the highway along with the fact it's often icy?

The Jersey barrier will make a big difference.

And there was frequent rock fall blocking the highway?

It would be tough making that 4 lanes because then they'd have to cut into the slope a lot more.

I'd be interested in seeing stats on that Jerry, I'm wondering if there were more accidents on that stretch than on any other part of 26 East of Sandy.

I know that section about 8 miles east of Sandy where they installed the cables down the middle of the road was notoriously bad, I don't know about the hill. It just seems like a huge amount of work for the end result.

[retired jerry]

on the FAQ it says
"What is the purpose of this project?
ODOT will construct a project along a nearly eight mile stretch of U.S. 26 between Rhododendron and OR 35 to improve safety by reducing severe crossover crashes and rockfall."

It doesn't give statistics though

[Chip Down]

Oh...Like Guy, I thought lanes were being added. I'm surprised to see Jerry's post above, stating the official intended outcome of the project. Did the goals change after the project commenced? I know there was a post or two on WyEastBlog about this, so maybe Splintercat can offer some insights.

[I'm so tempted to offer an anti-government screed here, but I recognize oregonhikers isn't the best place for that, so I'll show some restraint.]

[Don Nelsen]

Oh...Like Guy, I thought lanes were being added. I'm surprised to see Jerry's post above, stating the official intended outcome of the project. Did the goals change after the project commenced? I know there was a post or two on WyEastBlog about this, so maybe Splintercat can offer some insights.

[I'm so tempted to offer an anti-government screed here, but I recognize oregonhikers isn't the best place for that, so I'll show some restraint.]

I've witnessed a couple of terrible accidents on that section and had a very close call myself back in the winter of '73/'74 or maybe '74/'75. I was descending through the first curve past the Mirror Lake TH when I spun out and went spinning all the way across the oncoming lanes, missing the cars coming up the hill and then back to the other side just kissing the right side guardrail with my front bumper. The only damage was a bent license plate! My wife had her fingernails firmly imbedded in the dash and those dents may still be there on that car! We were extremely lucky that day and it could have been a far different story as I missed the oncoming cars by inches and fractions of seconds. I am glad there is now a Jersey barrier there and about time.

dn

[Webfoot]

I am glad there is now a Jersey barrier there and about time.

On account of your accumulated wisdom I retract my rolling eyes Smiley.

It still seems like a great expense for what ultimately was achieved. Do you think a barrier could have been added less expensively?

[retired jerry]

"Did the goals change after the project commenced?"

No - they plan those out in detail beforehand

"Do you think a barrier could have been added less expensively?"

No. Adding Jersey barrier requires more road width. Adding road width over the cliff would be more expensive. Adding width on the cliff side makes the rock fall problem even worse, and that needed to be made better. It's difficult blasting away rock next to a highway that can't just be closed.

They put in cables closer to Sandy. And along Interstate 5. But that wouldn't work in those curvy sections with constricted shoulders.

They tried to make less expensive the highway 20 project between Corvallis and Newport. They privatized the design - just paid for the contractor to do it as cheaply as possible and let them be responsible for the entire project. The contractor screwed up the design and didn't allow for landslides. There was a long delay and then the contractor bailed. They eventually finished the projected with the state doing the design. Total cost was higher than if they had just done it conventionally.

Yeah, the government often screws things up, because there are humans involved. But that's just a risk when you do anything. It's good for us to scrutinize things to minimize this.