| OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program |
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| Web Brief (May 08) |
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ODOT and ITD jointly maintain the Snake River Bridges
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Oregon and Idaho share border, bridges and budget
Idaho is surrounded: Along its borders are six states and a Canadian province. But it shares bridges with only Oregon—across the Snake River that also partly serves as the state line.
This bridge sharing is possible because of the good relationship between ODOT and its counterpart, the Idaho Transportation Department. The relationship has grown even stronger since 2006, when the two Interstate 84 bridges over the Snake River—part of bridge program Bundle 202 near Ontario—needed repair. Replacing the bridge end spans was necessary to keep the primary east-west freight route between Oregon, Idaho and Utah in top working order.
Both agencies are pleased that the project has gone off without a hitch.
“ODOT kept us involved from day one,” said Bob Newell, ITD design coordinator. “We attended the kickoff meeting, and when they presented us with the design, we had no problems with it.”
“Any time I needed something, they were very responsive,” said Rena Cusma, Region 5 southeast area manager, of her IDT counterparts. “We decided that whenever there were discrepancies in the specifications, we would choose whichever were stricter, and that approach worked well.”
The effective collaboration continues now that the project is in construction. When ODOT wanted to use recycled asphalt as the sub-base aggregate, both sides agreed that it would be fine for the shoulders but not for the travel lanes. When there is a freight restriction due to construction, the information goes into both states’ 511 traveler information services.
ODOT and ITD share jurisdiction of five bridges; ODOT owns three and ITD owns two. The agencies split the cost of any work, an efficient and cost-effective solution for both. And since this project came in 9 percent under budget, they split the savings.
This summer’s construction will involve a long-term lane restriction, with all westbound traffic shifted to the eastbound I-84 bridge; only trucks wider than 12 feet are detoured around the work zone. ODOT’s public involvement team reached out to local residents and businesses, various freight groups and other stakeholders in both states to keep drivers and workers safe in the work zone.
“This project is moving along very smoothly,” said Tom Strandberg, public information officer for Region 5. “There have been no citizen issues, and people seem happy to have the bridges updated.”
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