ODOT lines out Sisters road projects

The largest project, set to begin this month, is the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 20 and Barclay Drive/McKinney Butte Road. Knife River Corporation will be doing the work, which is expected to be complete by Memorial Day 2017.

During the period of construction, there will be a variety of detours for motorists around the construction area so that access to and from Sisters to the west will never be completely shut down. Installation of the artwork and landscaping for the roundabout will occur after the construction is complete.

Other exhibits provided maps and explanations for three additional upcoming projects.

Once the roundabout is done, and the 2017 Sisters Rodeo is in the history books, a 15-mile paving project will begin on Highway 20 between Sisters and Tumalo. Highway 20 is a critical part of Oregon's transportation system and a major east-west freight corridor across Oregon. This section of highway is also an important commuter route between Sisters, Redmond, and Bend.

Over the past five years, this stretch of highway has reported over 150 crashes, with 10 percent being fatal or severe. The purpose of the project is to improve roadway conditions and safety by installing centerline rumble strips, preserving pavement, making intersection signing improvements, and painting striping along this section of highway.

Rumble strips are an effective countermeasure for reducing roadway-departure crashes. The noise and vibration produced by rumble strips alert drivers when they leave travel lanes.

Several different kinds of rumble strips are typically installed on a roadway. Centerline rumble strips are installed at or near the centerline of an undivided roadway, and may be comprised of either a single or double line of rumbles. They reduce cross-centerline crashes such as head-on collisions, sideswipes, and some run-off-road left crashes. Where wide enough, shoulder rumble strips are installed on a shoulder near the edge of the travel lane. They significantly reduce run-off-road crashes.

According to ODOT, research has shown that installing rumble strips can reduce severe crashes. In fact, on rural two-lane roads, like US20, the installation of rumble strips can reduce head-on and sideswipe fatal and injury collisions by 45 percent.

The unusual noise tires make as they cross over rumble strips keeps drivers alive - but it may also keep neighbors awake. To fulfill their purpose, rumble strips must make enough noise inside the vehicle and tires must drop into the rumble to cause enough vibration to get the driver's attention.

Due to roadway width restrictions and to reduce noise caused by the rumble strips, ODOT will install centerline rumble strips throughout this project except in Tumalo and within the city limits of Sisters.

Work will include grinding and inlaying pavement, sign installation, durable striping, rumble strips, and guardrail along the highway beginning in Sisters at the junction of US20 and OR126 where the truck scales are located, to Highway 20 milepost 14.96 - the Deschutes River bridge in Tumalo.

Motorists will need to expect up to 20-minute delays between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., under the control of flaggers. The project cost will be approximately $3.8 million, with High Desert Aggregate as the contractor.

A second project, slated to start in June 2017 and end September 2017, is drainage and pipe work between US20 milepost 80.88 (just east of the Santiam summit) to milepost 87.22 (east end of Suttle Lake).

The purpose of this project is to address the multiple drainage issues that arise during rapid snow-melt runoff, when the existing snow banks prevent this runoff from reaching the ditches and drainage structures. During the condition, this runoff causes flooding, landslides, and hydroplaning problems.

The project will add shoulder inlets, cross-culverts, and ditch inlets to improve drainage capacity and protect the culverts during winter maintenance operations.

Motorists can expect up to 20-minute delays controlled by flaggers, mostly at night, to reduce the impact on summer traffic. Construction cost is $1,235,000.

Work slated for spring/summer 2018 will take place on Highway 20 west of Sisters from Jack Lake Road to Railway Avenue in Sisters - approximately 12 miles of highway. The pavement in this section is deteriorating rapidly, according to ODOT. The existing pavement contains significant cracking and has begun to "ravel" (lose surface rock).

The purpose of the project is to improve roadway conditions and safety by preserving pavement, placing durable striping, installing signs, and constructing rumble strips along this section of highway.

ODOT will install centerline rumble strips throughout this project except within the city limits of Sisters. Shoulder rumble strips will only be installed where there is adequate shoulder width.

Delays for motorists will be up to 20 minutes between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., under the control of flaggers. The project will go out for bid in fall 2017 with construction occurring between June and October 2018.

For more information on the Jack Lake Road - Railway project or the Highway 20 work from Sisters to Tumalo this summer, contact Abbey Driscoll, community liaison, at 541-388-6064. For information on the Santiam Summit to Suttle Lake drainage project or the Highway 20 roundabout, contact Robert Townsend, construction project manger, 541-388-6252.