JEFFERSON COUNTY, OR -- Oregon’s Department of Transportation is reducing speeds on a 15 mile stretch of Highway 26 from Mount Hood to Warm Springs. "This winter took its toll on the highway, more than we thought it would," says ODOT's Kacey Davey, "That freeze/thaw cycle and studded tires and chains, they really tear up the road, so it came out of winter worse than we hoped it would." She adds, "And what that looks like to drivers and people who use the road is lots of potholes and rutting." On a scale from Very Poor to Very Good, ODOT ranks the pavement condition as “Poor,” between the Warm Springs Junction (Hwy 216) and the Warm Springs River.
In response, ODOT will lower the speed limit from 55 to 45 mph, beginning Friday. "For 15 miles, that should only add four minutes of extra time to your drive," Davey tells KBND News. It'll stay 45 through that stretch until pavement conditions improve.
She says reducing the speed allows drivers more time to navigate hazards, "And also, this lower speed is going to help out our workers who are going to be out there still trying to patch and keep the road open and going until we can get to this big project. So it’ll give those workers some more time and a safety buffer, as well."
That "big project" involves rully repaving the road, which was already planned for the 2024-27 funding cycle. "We’ve moved up this project into as soon in that cycle as we can, to 2024; so it’s right at the top of the list."
