Nyssa detour
Construction work will close underpass
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Friday, July 17, 2009 12:46 PM PDT
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| Eastbound vehicles move past the signal lights and take the opposite lane to move through the Nyssa underpass Thursday. After the east lanes are repaved early next week, the pattern will change. |
NYSSA — For about 12 hours, from Monday evening to early Tuesday morning, motorists traveling through Nyssa will have to find an alternative route other than Main Street to get from the west side of town to the east side. That’s because the crew from Land & Landis Construction closes the Nyssa underpass completely to facilitate the pouring of concrete pavement for the eastbound lanes.
When those lanes are opened that will complete about half of the project to replace the “bathtub” or water exclusion structure, situated beneath the pavement.
The structure is designed to keep groundwater from seeping to the surface and cracking the pavement.
Oregon Department of Transportation engineers said the tub being replaced was apparently too short and has allowed groundwater to leak through to the surface and run down into the underpass for several years.
The bath tub collects the ground water, which is pumped out of the underpass. The pumping system is also being replaced.
The alternative route for light vehicles — cars and pickups — will be over the Locust Street crossing, toward the city’s north end. However, because of the steep drop-off on the east side of the crossing and the sharp turn, large trucks are not able to use that crossing. Truck haulers were consulted by ODOT about the closure, which was requested by the contractor to facilitate a smooth pour, and announcements of the closure have been posted.
“The posted detour is for trucks and heavy vehicles,” Tom Strandberg, ODOT Region 5 public information representative said. “It will take them on Oregon Highway 201 to Interstate 84 and back on U.S. 95,” he said.
Traffic movement has been one-way through the underpass in the westbound lane and will be switched once the new concrete in the eastbound lanes is cured, he said. Access to North and South First streets and East First Street also have been blocked, while the intersections with Main Street are also being rebuilt.
The project was delayed until this year while ODOT officials waited to secure funding.
“We will have another closure like this,” Strandberg said. That will happen once the crews are ready to pour concrete for the westbound lane, he said. “We’re not sure when it will be.”
The whole project is scheduled to be completed in October.
