ODOT crews smooth out “the bump” on U.S. 26 at milepost 13 ahead of the rain.
Repairs highlight ongoing maintenance to reduce road damage and disruptions.
(SALEM, OR) — As Oregon heads into the rainy season, proactive maintenance is helping to keep highways safe and open. Repairs completed over the past two weeks at three recurring trouble spots on U.S. 101, U.S. 26 and OR 18 offer a look at that ongoing work.
Along Oregon’s coast and Coast Range, rain can soak into the ground and increase movement beneath the road. ODOT has identified more than 4,000 unstoppable slopes, landslides, debris flows and rockfalls across Oregon highways. Maintaining roads through these areas requires regular monitoring and repeated repairs.
By taking action before the heaviest rain arrives, crews aim to provide a smoother, safer ride and reduce how often travelers encounter repair work.
“Our crews are taking proactive steps now to prepare these trouble spots for the rainy season,” said Brian Morey, ODOT District 4 manager. “These repairs help smooth the road and improve drainage, but the ground underneath will continue to move. Our crews keep watch and respond as conditions change. Travelers can help by slowing down, driving for the conditions and giving crews room to work.”
Smoothing the road on U.S. 101 and OR 18
ODOT maintenance crews and contractors ground down uneven pavement to leave smoother surfaces on U.S. 101 north of Newport between mileposts 133 and 136, a stretch with several active landslides near Beverly Beach State Park. They also addressed the Murphy Hill sink on OR 18 at milepost 17. Neither location needed repaving. |
Improving drainage at the U.S. 26 Bump
ODOT maintenance crews tried a new drainage approach at the U.S. 26 “bump” near milepost 13, where an active landslide continues to shift the road.
Crews installed six dry wells, each 10 to 15 feet deep, to give groundwater more space to collect and flow into existing drainpipes. The wells supplement the pipe trenches, which crews believe may be too narrow to collect all the groundwater in the area.
Crews lined the wells with tough fabric and filled them with rock and gravel. The fabric filters out silt to help keep the drainpipes clear and helps the repair flex as the ground moves. Spaces between the rocks allow water to flow toward the pipes more easily than through compacted soil.
Crews then paved the surface with cold mix asphalt, which stays flexible as the ground shifts, helping limit large cracks in the pavement.
Crews will monitor the area through the rainy season to see whether the work reduces water reaching the surface and slows ground movement.
An ongoing challenge
At active landslide locations, repairing the pavement does not stop the ground beneath it from moving. Smoothing uneven surfaces and improving drainage help manage the effects of that movement and keep roads open for travelers. Crews regularly monitor the U.S. 101 slide areas and the U.S. 26 “bump.” During rainy fall and winter conditions, they check these locations multiple times a day because heavy rain can change road conditions quickly. These repairs are paid for through ODOT’s maintenance and operations budget. At the U.S. 26 “bump” alone, annual maintenance costs are about $200,000. A project to address the underlying slide would cost millions of dollars and require planning, design, environmental review and construction. Even that work would not necessarily eliminate future movement within the ancient landslide beneath the highway. ODOT currently has no funding to permanently address these three locations. |
These repairs are just a few examples of the proactive work ODOT maintenance crews do to prepare for winter rain and snow. Crews also sweep roads, maintain signs, clean culverts, clear ditches and remove hazardous trees. Keeping drainage paths clear helps water flow away from roads, while other maintenance helps keep routes clear and signs visible for travelers.
Maintenance work puts crews close to moving traffic, sometimes just inches away. Travelers can help keep them safe by slowing down, paying attention and giving crews room to work.
See the variety of work ODOT maintenance crews tackle in our Maintenance Crews in Action Flickr album.
Travelers can find the latest road conditions, traffic cameras and weather information at TripCheck.com, which provides real-time travel information to help you plan safe trips year-round.
