21 September 2015
Contractor facing October 31st deadline
A two-year paving and curve widening project on Highway 101 north of Florence will be working nights and weekends over the next six weeks.
Rocky Mountain Construction of Klamath Falls must complete the repaving of a five mile stretch between Sutton Lake and milepost 184 by October 31st.
That means traffic through the area will be restricted to one lane of travel both nights and weekends. Pilot cars and-or flaggers will be present at all times. The Oregon Department of Transportation requires that delays not last more than 20 minutes.
In addition to repaving the roadway there are safety improvements included in the total 17-mile project. Center line rumble strips will be installed, and several curves will be widened. Work between Sutton Lake and Cook’s Chasm is slated for completion by August of next year.
Scottsburg crash kills one
A Coos Bay woman died Saturday evening in a two-vehicle crash just east of Scottsburg on Highway 38. Police say the initial investigation showed a car driven by 66-year old Susan M. Wright of Coos Bay crossed the centerline and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle.
She died at the scene.
Two people from Creswell were in the oncoming pickup. 48-year old Nadja Bloomquist and 50-year old Mike Bloomquist were transported to Lower Umpqua Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The highway was closed more than four hours.
ALICE looks to save lives
Local emergency responders will see another round of “ALICE” training this Friday at Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue. “ALICE” is an acronym that stands for Alert; Lockdown; Inform; Counter; and Evacuate. It’s designed to prepare individuals for an “active shooter”… an armed intruder in a public space.
Fire Chief Jim Langborg says no one can guarantee success in countering this type of situation, but the new set of skills and perspective provided by “ALICE” will greatly increase the odds of survival.
Detective Aaron Hoberg with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting the three-hour training.
Fall beach cleanup nets 27-tons of trash
More than five-thousand volunteers were out in force Saturday as part of the semi-annual Beach and Riverside Cleanup.
An estimated 55-thousand pounds of trash and marine debris was collected from the 110-locations.
The Wallace Marine Park project on the Willamette River in Salem was the largest inland event with 115 volunteers picking up trash and clearing more than an acre of English Ivy.
Along the coast, the most common items found were tiny bits of plastic; cigarette butts; glass and plastic bottles; and fishing rope. According to SOLVE, the non-profit group that organized the event, more than 500 pounds of construction materials were picked up near Yachats and a remote controlled airplane was found near Port Orford.
Rhody resurfacing to improve pavement
Improvements above and below the surface along Rhododendron Drive between Highway 101 and Ninth Street are likely to begin early next year. Preparations for that begin Monday night when the Florence City Council will consider a $223-thousand contract with Civil West Engineering Services.
In a report to the council, Florence Public Works Director Mike Miller says Civil West will prepare civil and environmental contracts; design and oversee the construction.
It includes installing larger water lines along Rhododendron Drive to improve service as well as resurface the street. Miller says existing curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be retained as much as possible, but Civil West will oversee the replacement of those that are appropriate.
The City Council meets at City Hall at six.
