Two issues to be aware of on some popular rural roads around the region: Construction up near Mt. Hood will mean major truck traffic on Lolo Pass Road and others in the Zig Zag area; and on the other side of region, Washington County will be paving some key biking roads. See the official notices below…
Mt. Hood Safety Project Brings Big Trucks to Small Roads
Moving a half-million cubic yards of debris for safety work puts large trucks on small roads
The U.S. 26 Mount Hood Safety Project will divert a lot of big trucks through Zig Zag on Lolo Pass Road and other small rural roads that aren’t used to seeing heavy truck traffic.
The project, which will take place on and off through 2015, will mean moving nearly a half-million cubic yards of dirt, rocks and trees to make U.S. 26 safer as it passes over Mount Hood and through Government Camp. And during this work, many large truck and trailer will be use onto roads that lead to rural communities and popular recreation areas on Mount Hood, including Lolo Pass Road and Trillium Lake Road…
The project will reduce fatal and severe crossover crashes and rockfalls on U.S. 26 by placing a center barrier along a 1.6 mile stretch from the runaway truck escape ramp to east of Mirror Lake and cut back the rock slopes. Work will end in 2016.
Here are some tips to help people using the rural roads operate safely around the heavy trucks.
BE VISIBLE: If you are walking, jogging, riding a bike or riding a horse be as visible as possible and wear reflective clothing·
LISTEN for oncoming trucks and do not use head phones that could block the sound of trucks approaching
BLIND SPOTS: When riding a bike, ride with traffic and in the middle of the travel lane so you do not end up in a truck’s blind spot
WALK FACING TRAFFIC: When walking, walk on the opposite side of the road to keep your eye on oncoming traffic and be more easily seen.
PULL OUT SAFELY: When pulling out of your driveway onto the haul roads, fully stop and look for trucks and other road users before proceeding. Consider parking so that you can pull out of your driveway rather than back out to increase your ability to see oncoming trucks.
ODOT will host a public meeting with the residents along Lolo Pass Road to have an open dialogue about the truck hauling activity on Lolo Pass Road. The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the Resort at the Mountain, 68010 East Fairway Avenue, Welches, Oregon.
Paving in Washington County
Paving will impact traffic August 18 – 28
Several roads in the rural hills northwest of Portland will be paved on weekdays from August 18 – 28. The work will require one lane to be closed. Flaggers and a pilot vehicle will be used to direct two-way traffic on the remaining open lane. Travelers should expect delays and use alternate routes if possible.
The paving schedule, weather permitting, is:
– NW Newberry Road (from US30 to County line): August 18 and 20
– NW Kaiser Road (full length): August 19 and 21
– NW Skyline Boulevard (from NW Macnamee to NW Cornelius Pass Road) and NW Brooks Road (full length): August 25 and 26
– The roads will receive a three-stage chip seal treatment, which is a low-cost paving method well suited to rural roads. A final fog seal layer will be applied to the roads during the week of August 25, weather permitting.Multnomah County maintains these roads and 300 miles of roads and bridges. For more information, visit www.multco.us/roads.
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The “Paving in Washington County” sounds like it is really “Paving in Multnomah County Pretty Close to The Border of Washington County”.