Road repair under way

Hwy. 140 to open to one lane of traffic Sunday

By LAURA McVICKER
H&N Staff Writer
June 10, 2006

 

H&N photo by Andrew Mariman  Highway 140, bisecting the lower

left corner of the photo, has been closed since Wednesday after a dike on

Upper Klamath Lake failed, flooding the area and the roadway.


    Officials plan to re-open by Sunday afternoon one lane of Highway 140 after reinforcing a road that was damaged by flood water from Upper Klamath Lake. 


    The highway closed Wednesday after a dike at the Geary Canal failed and water inundated about 2,000 acres of farmland as well as the highway. The route is not expected to be open to two lanes of traffic until late next week, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. 


    Authorities have spent the past three days assessing and repairing the roadway. A 15-mile portion from the Highway 140 and 66 junction to Rocky Point has been closed since late Wednesday. 


    “We’re feeling pretty good right now,” said Mike Stinson, district manager for ODOT in Klamath Falls. “We’re moving in a very forward motion.” 


    Workers are laying geotechnical fabric and earthen material along the shoulders of a 50-foot-long portion of the highway to soak up water, Stinson said. After about 2,000 feet of highway base is reinforced on the south side of the road, one lane of traffic will open. 


    Flaggers and pilot cars will escort vehicles through the area. 


    The route will open to two lanes of traffic after a concrete barrier and fill material are placed along the north shoulder of the highway — the side closest to the 100-foot breach in the dike, according to ODOT. 


    Plan for detours 


    Meanwhile, detours, which will take an additional 45 minutes of travel time, are set up at Highway 97 and West Side Road. Klamath County school buses to Rocky Point are being detoured, but delays won’t affect other routes, said Dick Batsell, a bus driver with the school district. 


    Klamath County commissioners wrote to Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s office, saying the county may need financial assistance. On Friday, the governor’s aide called, and told commissioners, the governor is prepared to assist if needed. 


    Commissioners don’t know if the county will be held responsible for repair or drainage of the flooded farm and marshlands, said commissioner Al Switzer. If so, the county may seek financial assistance. 


    “Right now, we’re at a point where we don’t know what’s next,” Switzer said. 

    Sheriff Tim Evinger said Thursday afternoon that flood waters did not pose an immediate threat to homes or livestock. 

    Authorities initially feared waters would overtake Highway 140 and flood a roughly 3,000-head cattle ranch owned by Running Y Ranch Resort, south of the highway. But Thursday, water at the dike stopped rising. 

    Geary dike repairs 

    Pacific Power isn’t ready to release its plans to repair the dike and drain the farmland, said Dave Kvamme, spokesman for Pacific Power. The power company maintains the dike, but contractors are reinforcing an access road leading to the breach to prepare for repairs.

 

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