The Eugene Guard from Eugene, Oregon • Page 19

Engineers Closing Gaps in North-South Highway That Will Link Canada, Mexico LANE COUNTY HOME NEWSPAMtft SECTION EUGENE, OREGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1959 I -f-l i i msrr' Seattle QAIEM dkims cm SfEUGENE COWWTEP FREEWAY' WElVAYUNPEK CONSTRUCTION F0WMANE HlfiHtwr I bcmoiwue 1 LOCATION In Amount of Work Done OwEEP PUNSMUIR' otspping VjyobpUNP. 1 Jcl STOCKTON tREN SfKFIEtP LOS ANfiElffS SHADES OF PROGRESS Shadows of a concrete and steel overpass irt the top photo present a spectacular view of progress made this past summer toward completion of the Pacific Freeway between Eugene and Albany. Trucks have been humming steadily south of Albany delivering asphalt paving mix prepared at the road-side plant shown directly above. 1 Washington Leads California, Oregon By TOM JAQUES of tha ReglsterKSuard Oregon, Washington and California highway department are gradually closing the gaps in the three-state, north-south federal freeway link between Canada and Mexico. And Lane County work is currently leading the way as on of the major portions of the route between Blaine, 'on the Washington-Canadian border, and Tijuana on tha California-Mexico border.

A trip over the three-state highway would bring Intermittent limited access, freeway, four-lane, and two-lane travel now, according to reports from Washington, Oregon and Call- fornia official. In many places primarily in Oregon freeway construction is under way on completely new routes. Therefore, a lot the work cannot be seen from old Highway 99 route north or south of Eugene. Earth movers are currently working around the clock on the Albany-Eugene section of the freeway. It will be next year, however, before the new section is open to traffic.

In California, a completely new freeway route along the west side of the San Joaquin Valley has been adopted to bypass such cities as Modesto, Merced, Fresno, Tulare and Bak-ersfield. WASHINGTON HAS THE EDGE Washington probably has the edge on Oregon and California in the amount of the Pacific Freeway actually completed. About the only two-lane highway left in Washington's portion is between Blaine, on the Canadian border, to Ferndale a distance of about 15 miles. From Ferndale to Burlington, another 30 miles, Highway 99 is four-laned, but not up to freeway standards of limited access and interchange design. Burlington to Everett is now completed freeway.

The road from Everett south through Seattle and on to Ta-coma is four-lane highway, again not up to freeway standards. A representative of the state highway department said Thursday that delays in providing federal aid has put construction plans up in the air for this link. The 42 miles between Tacoma and Olympia is virtually complete to freeway standards. It is still classed as under construction, however. From Olympia to Vancouver on the Oregon border about 108 miles is completed and open for a smooth ride at freeway speeds.

1 Oregon's freeway route covers 310 miles. Work is complete from Portland to Albany, a distance of about 70 miles. Construction on a new alignment east of Harrisburg and Junction City is underway on the 38 miles from Albany to Eugene. Although built to four-lane standards, the highway from Eugene to Goshen is not considered a freeway, primarily because it lacks interchange facilities for ingress and egress. The route between Goshen and Grants Pass is now essentially all freeway.

The section between Canyonville and Mt Sexton north of Grants Pass, however, remains to be built to limited access standards. Grading of a relocated section south of Grants Past is under way. Although soma improvements from there to the California line have been made, it is not built for freeway travel. State Highway Engineer W. C.

Williams said recently that the 17-mile section south of Ashland, for example, "will probably have to be rebuilt on another route." This, he predicted, is four or five years away. California, with its masses of population and thousands of vehicles, has the biggest job left to do on the Pacific Freeway. 833 MILES IN CALIFORNIA California has about 833 miles on the Pacific Freeway from the Oregon line to Mexico via Highways 99 and 101. Work is underway on rebuilding much of tha Highway 99 route north vt Sacramento. Some of tha worst section is being removed by a eight-mile construction project just south of Dunsmuir.

About 30 miles of the rout have been completed in this northern California section. Three-hundred-fifteen miles of th freeway will be rerouted away from the existing Highway 99 through the San Joaquin Valley. Sacramento will be the northern point, with Wheeler Ridge south of Bakersfield th southernmost junction of the two highways. One of the major projects from there to tot Angelet it th 8.8 mile of eight-lane work undertaken on th Grapevine grade. Thit is costing $7,900,000, according to th California State Division of Highwayi.

Most of the route from Lot Angelet to th Mexican border Is already freeway. This section, on Highway 101, includes th Santa Ana freeway and the route through San Diego. None of the state officials can give indications ol completion dates for the entire freeway route. All are disappointed in the delay by Congress this year which set some of the projects back. Under latest schedules for the entire federal aid interstate freeway program in the nation, however, tha work should be completed by 1979 six years longer than first anticipated.

INCHING ALONG Good weather during recent weeks' hat helped this contractor to continue the slow-moving process of stringing the ribbon of asphalt paving along tha route south of Albany. All of the pictures on this page were taken between Eugene and the Linn County city. to I i Overpass, Bridge Bidding To Be Heard Next Month in excess of $'i million. No cost estimate on the over passes has been released. One of the structures will be at the Game Nov.

3 li the new date set for the opening of bids or construction of an estimated $3 million worth of Pacific Freeway bridges and overpasses near Eugene, according to State Highway Engineer W. C. Williams. Williams said the projects in-inrfa tho now freewav bridge Farm Road, where an interchange is planned; the other just to the north over the Southern Pacific 4 Brownsville Branch railroad line. Paving of freeway sections north of the McKenzle River will over the Willamette River at Jud- be put out to bid in January, according to Williams.

This means the work will be complet kins Point; rebuilding oi me Franklin Boulevard overpass that will go under the freeway bridge; installation of ten drainage ttruc-nn- anil rnnstruction of two ed next summer, in time for the expected opening of the Albany- Eugene portion of the freeway late next year. The state engineer said, "We've overpasses between the Willamette and McKeniie Rivers. Grading of the route is already In progress. Th. tt official said the two still got our fingers crossed' about the opening date of the freeway that will remove throug- traffic from the present High (r.ilitr-Ouird Dhotoa by Ma(hMm) Judkins Point projects are expected to cost more than $2 million.

The drainage structures will cost way 99. CIRCLE 'ROUND This maze of concrete and gravel Is gradually being shaped into modern freeway interchange near Albany. T-Day for initial travel on the freeway lection wlU be late ia I960. (Briefs, Vital Statistics, Page 6AX.