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November
8, 2011 October 2011 Construction Progress Construction is underway on the new Highway 213 bridge over the realigned
Washington Street and Clackamas River Drive. Mowat construction crews completed the temporary shoring system underneath Highway
213. This work was followed by the excavation of material within the shored-up area to allow for the installation of 32 permanent
bridge piles that will form the new bridge bents (supports). An additional 36,000 cubic yards of fill material was installed
adjacent to the north side of Clackamas River Drive in the area where the new roundabout will be constructed. Geotechnical
engineers continue to monitor the settling rate in this area. The majority of the grading work along the realigned Washington
Street and the paving along the new Prairie Schooner Way have been completed.
Work along the existing Highway 213 continues. Near Redland Road, footings for a new sign bridge
that supports a new variable message sign (VMS) are completed and the new VMS was installed and will be operational before
the end of the year. Widening of northbound Highway 213, including installation of the stone embankment and guardrail, has
also been completed. In addition, all winter erosion control work was completed to ensure soil stability during the rainy
season.
October 18,
2011
Construction Night Work The City of Oregon City's contractor for the Jughandle
Project has begun night work including noise producing activities on the new Highway 213 bridge near the I-205 interchange.
In order to minimize disruptions to daytime travel along Highway 213, night work is required during the partial closure
of existing lanes of Highway 213 between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Special efforts are being
made to muffle noise by wrapping equipment with insulating material.
The new Highway 213 bridge will serve as an overpass to a realigned Washington Street. In late September,
the contractor completed temporary walls for a shoring system that will allow excavation under the highway and construction
of the bridge bents (supports). The contractor started driving the piles that will provide vertical support for the bridge
bents on October 12th, 13th, and 17th. A total of 32 piles will be driven 50 feet into the ground for the two bents.
The contractor will complete as much of this work during the day as possible. However, due to the location of
the piles and the need to close travel lanes on Highway 213, most of the pile driving will continue to occur overnight, Monday
through Thursday, during the weeks of October 17th and October 24th and may extend into the week of October 31. In order
for the contractor to mobilize and demobilize equipment and materials during the 8:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. partial lane closure,
noise producing activities are most likely to occur from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. The City, ODOT, and the contractor
are working to complete these construction activities as quickly as possible while minimizing the associated noise and traffic
disruptions.
September 7, 2011 August 2011
Construction Progress
Mowat construction crews
have been making the most of the dry summer construction season by completing the excavation of approximately 25,000cubic yards of material for the realignment of Washington
Street and establishing the temporary shoring system that will allow excavation to safely begin underneath the highway. Crews
have also been relocating and upgrading 70 linear feet of water lines and 500 linear feet of storm sewer lines in advance
of the new roadway construction. Adjacent to the north side of Clackamas River Drive, geotechnical engineers have been measuring
the settling rate of approximately 6,000 cubic yards of fill material that has been placed there over the summer. The fill
is being carefully monitored to ensure that it is sufficiently compacted prior to the construction of new infrastructure, including
the roundabout that will connect Clackamas River Drive to Washington Street.
Work also
began in August on the project’s 5-acre mitigation site, located between I-205 and the Union Pacific railroad west of
the highway. This narrow strip of land is the site of a former lumber mill that is now full of decomposing bark, wood chips,
and noxious weeds. The contractor is hauling away approximately 21,000 cubic yards of the rotted wood waste as part of the
project’s compliance with the City’s floodplain and natural resource protection regulations. Removing the wood
waste will offset the fill that the new construction adds to the floodplain and jumpstart the City’s efforts to improve
wildlife habitat at the undevelopable site.
 | |  | The tall rods on the left side of the photo are used to measure the settling rate of the fill adjacent to Clackamas
River Drive. | | Crews
install new water lines.
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June 27, 2011 June
2011 Construction Progress June is a busy month for the construction crews working with Mowat. Workers are excavating areas on both
sides of Highway 213 in preparation for the new alignment of Washington Street underneath the highway. The excavated material
suitable for use as fill is being transported and placed adjacent to the north side of Clackamas River Drive where the new
roundabout will be constructed. This area needs to be built up approximately 15 feet before the new roadway can be put in
place. Crews are also building a stone embankment on the east side of Highway 213 in order to widen the highway between Redland
Road and Clackamas River Drive.
Additional work occurring this month includes the replacement
of the aging aluminum rails on the east sides of the bridges over the railroad and I-205 to meet current safety standards.
In the last two weeks of June, construction begins on the new roadway directional signs that will span the highway at the
I-205 interchange and near the intersections with Redland Road and Clackamas River Drive. The large structures supporting
the signs, known as “sign bridges,” require different types of foundations depending on the composition of the
soils at each location. Since a portion of the project area is located over a former landfill, very deep foundations are required
in some locations and crews must carefully haul away for proper disposal any contaminated water and soils that are extracted
in the course of their work.
 |  | | Areas on both sides of Hwy 213 are being excavated for the new alignment of Washington
St. | Workers drill shafts for the foundation of a new sign bridge.
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June 6, 2011
Elected
Leaders Help Break Ground on $26.8 million Jughandle Project The City kicked off construction of the Highway 213 Jughandle Project with a special groundbreaking
celebration on May 5th. In recognition of the project's regional significance, State Representatives Dave Hunt and Bill Kennemer,
Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette, Oregon Transportation Commissioner Mary Olson and representatives for Governor Kitzhaber
and Congressman Schrader joined local leaders at the event. Home Depot graciously provided lawn and parking space to hold
the community event adjacent to the Highway 213 and Washington Street construction site. To watch a video of the event, go
to the Community Videos section of the City website: http://www.orcity.org/cityrecorder/meeting-agendas-minutes-and-videos. Left to
Right: 1. Lynn Peterson, Governor's Sustainable Communities & Transportation Policy Advisor 2. Bill Kennemer, State Representative
3. Carlotta Collette, Metro Councilor 4. Mary Olson, Oregon Transportation Commissioner 5. Alice Norris, Former Oregon City
Mayor 6. Jason Tell, ODOT Region 1 Manager 7. Dave Hunt, State Representative 8. Alison Craig, District Aide of US Congressman
Kurt Schrader 9. Doug Neeley, Oregon City Mayor 10. Nancy Kraushaar, City Engineer/Public Works Director
March 18, 2011 City Awards Contract to Mowat Construction Company The City Commission awarded the construction contract for the Highway 213 Jughandle Project
to Mowat Construction Company (Mowat) at their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Mowat is expected to begin on-the-ground
work on this approximately $17.6 million construction contract in April or May 2011. The Project is scheduled for completion
by the end of 2012.
Mowat’s construction team for the Project, based in Clackamas County, will work with local firms such as Sherwood-based
paving subcontractor Eagle-Elsner Inc., Portland-based Cherry City Electric, and Clackamas County-based Fox Erosion Control
and Landscape Inc., to complete the Project.
Oregon City’s
Mayor Doug Neeley stated, “This is a triple crown winner. We are boosting employment during construction, reducing
congestion for our citizens at this heavily used location, and building infrastructure that will serve economic and community
development well into the future.”
The City awarded the Jughandle Project contract to Mowat
based on a combination of the company’s bid price, project experience, expertise, and proposed approach to the work.
Mowat had both the highest technical score and the lowest bid price. The company has experience improving other area roadways
with high volumes of traffic, such as the Sunset Highway (OR 26) between OR 217 and Cornell Road. Mowat’s previous success
performing extensive night-work and completing complex projects on time helped demonstrate their capability to meet the Jughandle
Project requirement to conduct the majority of the work on Highway 213 without closing travel lanes during the daytime.
April 21, 2011 The City of Oregon City will host an Open House
to review the final designs for the Jughandle Project improvements and answer questions about project construction. Community
members and other interested parties are invited to stop by anytime during the Open House to review the roadway designs, meet
the contractor, and learn about the anticipated construction schedule.
The drop-in
style Open House will be held at City Hall (625 Center Street, Oregon City) from 4:00pm to 6:30pm on Monday, May 23, 2011.
April 8,
2011 The City of Oregon City is excited to announce
the upcoming construction of the Highway 213 Jughandle Project. Please join us on May 5, 2011 for a Groundbreaking Ceremony
to thank our partnering agencies and celebrate the $26.8 million dollar project which will put Oregonians back to work.
Enjoy a reception at 12:30pm featuring the sounds of the Quartette Barbette followed by the program at 1:00pm featuring an
address by Governor John Kitzhaber. The Groundbreaking will be held adjacent to the construction site on the Home Depot
lawn at 2002 Washington Street in Oregon City. Please save the date!
March 8, 2011 City Stretches
Funding to Widen Redland Road for Exclusive Right Turn Lane in 2011-2012 The
City is pleased to announce that in addition to the Jughandle improvements, a portion of the improvements planned for the
Redland Road/Highway 213 intersection will be constructed as part of Phase 1 of the Highway 213 improvements. The City had
asked interested contractors to bid on widening and restriping Redland Road along with the construction of the Jughandle improvements,
in the hopes that the currently available funding could cover the cost of both. Now that the bids are in, the City expects
the widening and restriping of Redland Road near the Highway 213 intersection to occur concurrent with the Jughandle improvements.
This work will include the creation of an exclusive eastbound right turn lane for travel from Redland Road to southbound Highway
213.
Tree Removal at Redland Road/Hwy
213 intersection
In preparation for construction along Redland Road, arborist Joe Kittel and his crew will be removing
select trees in March 2011 along Redland Road and Highway 213 near the Redland Road intersection. Removal of 26 trees in this
area is necessary to accommodate the road widening for the exclusive right turn lane. To ensure that federally-protected migratory
birds have not established nests in these trees, APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) has been monitoring the
area since the nesting season began.
Approval of the
tree removal plan was granted as part of the City's land use permits for the Jughandle Project, following review by the Oregon
City Planning Commission and Oregon City Citizen Involvement Committee. The City has committed to planting more than 10 trees
for every tree that is removed as part of the project.
March 8, 2011 The Bids Are In! The City opened final bids for construction of the Jughandle Project on March 2, 2011. The bid results show that
Mowat Construction Company is the Apparent Best Value Bidder. The City Commission is scheduled to authorize the award of the
construction contract at their meeting on March 16, 2011.
January 10, 2011 Contractors Invited to Bid on Project
December 30, 2010
Tree Removal
Begins for Project Construction
 The City has awarded a contract to Trees by Joe to remove selected
trees in preparation for construction of the Jughandle Project. You may see owner Joe Kittel, a certified arborist, and his
crew working in January and February 2011 along Clackamas River Drive, Washington Street, Highway 213 between Redland Road
and the Interstate 205 interchange, and between I-205 and the railroad tracks. They will be removing certain trees - the majority
of which are less than 12 inches in diameter - in order to allow a construction contractor to complete the roadway realignments,
widening, and installation of utility infrastructure for the Jughandle Project. Tree removal is occurring in advance of project
construction to prevent disturbances to federally-protected native migratory birds during their nesting season (March through
September).
Approval of the tree removal plan was granted as
part of the City's land use permits for the Jughandle Project, following review by the Oregon City Planning Commission and
Oregon City Citizen Involvement Committee. The City has committed to planting more than 10 trees for every tree that is removed
as part of the project. For more information, please see the City's press release.
October 18, 2010 PROJECT OPEN HOUSE - November 18, 2010, 4:00
p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
The City of Oregon City will host an Open House
to present the final designs for the Jughandle Project improvements to Highway 213 and its intersection with Washington Street
and Clackamas River Drive. Designs for a second phase of improvements to Highway 213 at the Highway 213/Redland Road intersection
will also be showcased at the Open House. Community members and other interested parties are invited to stop by the Open House
to review the roadway designs, learn about landscaping plans, and ask questions of project staff.
The
Open House will be held at City Hall (625 Center Street, Oregon City) from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Thursday, November 18, 2010.
July 29, 2010 New road, new name! Introducing Prairie Schooner Way
Oregon City is pleased to announce that “Prairie
Schooner Way” will be the name of the new roadway connecting Highway 213 to the realigned Washington Street. The name
pays homage to Oregon City’s history. A Prairie Schooner is a wagon that was used by emigrants on the Oregon Trail.
You can learn more about the history of Prairie Schooners and Oregon City at Clackamas Heritage Partners’ Historic Oregon City website.
 
July 29, 2010
Jughandleproject.com Updates
Since the jughandleproject.com website went live
in June 2010, there have been numerous updates to the website. You can now find: - Exhibits comparing current and future travel routes
to and from I-205, Highway 213, Washington Street and Clackamas River Drive on the Maps and Photos page.
- A project schedule on the Schedule page.
- A breakdown of the project funding sources on the Funding page.
- A map of the signed detour route that will be in place during the 4-day
closure of Highway 213 between Washington Street and the I-205 interstate ramps. See the Detour Info page.
- Who is part of the Project Team on the Comments/Contacts page.
- More answers to frequently asked questions on the FAQ page.
The website will continue to be
updated as the project moves through the final design phase. Let us know what additional information you would like to see
added to the website by submitting a comment on the Comments page.
June
17, 2010 PROJECT OPEN HOUSE - June 29, 2010, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. WHERE: City Hall
625
Center Street
Oregon City
WHEN: Tuesday,
June 29, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
WHAT:
The City of Oregon City and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will sponsor
an Open House to discuss improvements to Hwy 213, Hwy 213/Washington Street/Clackamas River Drive and Hwy 213/Redland
Road intersections. We welcome community members and interested parties to drop in anytime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00
p.m.
The project design team is currently
finalizing the construction plans for the project. Construction of the first phase of the project is expected to begin
in spring 2011. The Open House will feature the latest project maps, roadway design, and construction schedule information.
Project design team members will be available to answer your questions.
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