NOTICE - Upcoming Highway 38 Closure for Bridge Replacement

Below, please find a notice from the Oregon Department of Transportation regarding the closure of Highway 38 from Friday May 9 at 9 PM through Monday May 12 at 6 AM, in case you have any travel plans during that period.

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A contractor for the Oregon Department of Transportation will close Highway 38 at the Elk Creek tunnel between Drain and Elkton from 9 p.m. Friday, May 9 to 6 a.m. Monday, May 12 to replace the bridge on the east end of the tunnel. The weekend closure was selected after consulting with communities located along the Highway 38 corridor.

All traffic will be detoured to Highway 138 and Interstate 5 while the closures are in effect. For public safety, Oregon State Police will be stationed on the highway to enforce the closures.

This project marks the first time ODOT has used a technique called "rapid replacement" to build a new state highway bridge. Rapid replacement involves using hydraulic machinery to slide the new bridge into place after the old structure is demolished. Crews have worked at the site since June 2007 to build the foundation for the new bridge in preparation for the rapid replacement. Rapid replacements have been used on other bridges in Oregon, most recently by the city of Rogue River.

ODOT is using rapid replacement for this site because of the physical constraints posed by the geography and the narrow access to the historic Elk Creek tunnel. Due to these challenges, the alternative bridge replacement method would force closing one lane of Highway 38 at the Elk Creek tunnel 24 hours a day for about one year. ODOT will instead use rapid replacement to reduce the highway closure time and impacts of the construction on motorists.

ODOT's contractor, Slayden Construction, will also use the rapid replacement technique this summer to replace the bridge on the west end of the tunnel. Slayden had planned to replace both Elk Creek tunnel bridges by June, but the closure of the CORP railroad to Reedsport delayed the delivery of structural steel girders for the bridges. As a result, replacing the bridge on the west end of the tunnel is now scheduled for July or August. To minimize the impact of a summertime bridge replacement on local businesses and weekend travelers, the necessary closure of Highway 38 will occur from a Monday at 9 p.m. to a Thursday at 6 a.m. The summer highway closure dates will be announced in advance and will avoid public holidays.

The bridge replacements at the Elk Creek tunnel are part of a project to replace five aging bridges on Highway 38 between Elkton and Drain. The bridges were built between 1929 and 1932. They are being replaced to ensure safe travel on this important route between the coast and Interstate 5. Slayden Construction has established a hot line phone number at (888) 836-8961 to answer questions about the upcoming traffic changes and other project details. Drivers may also visit www.TripCheck.com, or call 511 for current travel information. Learn more about the Highway 38 bridge replacement work online at www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/REGION3/ElkCreek.shtml.