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About The Columbia press. (Astoria, Or.) 1949-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2021)
The Columbia Press April 23, 2021 Fix-its: Ten projects in Clatsop County Continued from Page 1 of each. The needs are always great- er than the funding, however. The agency is able to replace just three of the state’s 2,700 highway bridges each year. On average, state highways need to be paved every 25 years, but there’s only enough funding to pave every 50 years. That means more pot- holes and rough pavement, and more heavy truck weight restrictions on bridges. Clatsop County projects in the current Fix-It Program: • Youngs Bay Bridge and Highway 101, a $17 million multi-year project. Work on the 57-year-old bridge is underway and includes repairing concrete, replac- ing joints and bearings, and raising the lift-span tower. Road improvements begin in 2022 and include a mile and a half of pavement from the bridge south to Neptune Drive, guardrail replacement, upgraded traffic signs, new striping, replacement of sig- nal loops and a signal replace- ment at Neptune. • Astoria-Megler Bridge re- pairs. The $24 million multi- phased project began five years ago. Improving and coating the towers and steel below the bridge deck was completed in 2018. Recoating deck trusses, repairs and re- painting are in progress. The final phase is being designed with construction to begin in 2025. It includes rehabil- itation of the bridge deck, structural inlays and concrete crack sealant. The bridge is 55 years old. •Highway 101 at Perkins Lane safety improvements. The $2.1 million intersection project is at the south entrance of Warrenton, where multiple collisions have occurred due to vehicles making left-hand turns. A new left-turn lane and concrete separator will be added, with construction set to begin this summer. Courtesy ODOT An Oregon road crew uses a paver to complete a project. • Highway 202 safety im- provements in Astoria. The $4.2 million project includes sidewalks from Dresden Street (near the Roundabout) to Fourth Street (near the Olney turnoff). The project includes repaving, upgraded traffic signs and retaining walls. Cur- rently in the design phase, con- struction is slated for 2023. • Highway 26 Little Hum- bug Creek Bridge. Near- ly $685,000 has been set aside for designs to replace the 60-year-old bridge. Its foundation is in poor condi- tion and the bridge is deterio- rating. Design began in 2020, but construction funding and timing remain undetermined. • Highway 26, Necanicum Junction to the Nehalem Riv- er Bridge. The $15.3 million project to pave the 12-mile stretch begins in May. While there won’t be any full road closures, there will be night- ly single-lane closures during the week. Included in the project are new guardrails, signs and stormwater im- provements. • Highway 26, Nehalem Riv- er Bridge. The $1.7 million project will repair the histor- ic bridge, which was built in 1939. Work includes remov- ing rust between steel plates, straightening beams, replac- ing rivets and bolts, and re- painting. Construction is ex- pected to begin later this year or in early 2022. • Highway 101 in Seaside. The $7.2 million project in- 5 cludes widening the road, in- stalling bike and pedestrian improvements, and repaving from Avenue A to Avenue K. There will be a new cen- ter turn lane, two rapid-flash beacon crosswalks, new traf- fic signs, disability-compliant curb ramps and improved drainage. When construction begins in 2022, there will be brief lane closures. • Highway 101 in south Clat- sop County. The $7 million pavement project begins at Ecola Creek and runs south to Arcadia Beach. It includes guardrails, bridge decks and rails, traffic signs and rumble strips. Construction begins in 2022. • Highway 101 at Asbury Creek, north of Arch Cape. The $3.6 million project will replace a damaged culvert built in 1937. Water leaves the culvert as a waterfall, which prevents fish passage. Cur- rently being designed, con- struction is slated for 2023. • Highway 30, Graham Creek Fish Passage west of Clats- kanie. The $2 million project will replace a culvert. It will be completed in stages with lane closures and delays expected.
