Document text
By Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune October 14. 2014 3:27PM Bridge work will cause more delays Thursday night The Oregon Department of Transportation works to install beams for Bear Creek Bridge near Fern Valley interchange on Tuesday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch PHOENIX — Drivers getting on or off Interstate 5 at exit 24 should be prepared for more delays Thursday night as installation of beams on the new bridge over Bear Creek continues. Oregon Department of Transportation crews began installing the 12 beams Tuesday night. Each beam is more than 120 feet long, 6 feet tall and weighs 44 tons. Six were to be set Tuesday, and the final six will be installed Thursday, according to ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming. Flag crews will be in place to direct traffic on Fern Valley Road between I-5 and Highway 99. The road will be slimmed down to a single lane from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. as cranes do their work. Minor delays are also expected today so the cranes can be repositioned. The 12 beams make up one half of the new Bear Creek Bridge. While crews complete the deck, traffic will continue driving on the old structure — originally built in 1948 — until it is demolished to make room for the new bridge's second half. The renovated bridge will have two lanes going each way, sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes. "They've been progressing very well. The contractor plans on setting beams over the interstate in November, which is a huge milestone," said Leaming. "Overall, things are moving along. They've made great progress in the last eight months. As an agency we're very pleased with the work that's been done so far." Other upcoming steps include completion of a section of road behind Home Depot, which will allow crews to begin work on the interstate bridge's east side connection. The bridge work is the latest step in the ongoing $72 million Fern Valley interchange project, which will be the state's first "diverging diamond" interchange. In a diverging interchange, vehicles approach the overpass in the right lane, which allows a free right turn onto the freeway. The lanes cross, allowing a free left turn onto the freeway headed the opposite direction, then cross back to put vehicles in the usual right-hand lanes as they continue on the road. Several such alignments have been built in Missouri and Utah. "On the West Coast, I think it will be a template if any more are built," Leaming said. ODOT officials said the structure uses a narrower, more efficient design while saving money on right-of-way work costs. The project is still on track for a September 2016 completion date. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141014/NEWS/141019811 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->