Senator on Hwy 20 fiasco: 'plenty of blame to go around'
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Transportation is facing another $90 million overrun to realign Highway 20 through the Coast Range, and the agency now says it's also considering the option of abandoning a six-mile stretch near Eddyville where unstable hillsides threaten landslides.
The department will request the rest of the money it needs to complete the project — $176 million — at the Dec. 19 meeting of the Oregon Transportation Commission, The Register-Guard reported Wednesday.
The agency also will give the commission the option of not moving forward with the realignment. Instead the department would attempt to widen or straighten the 10-mile stretch of winding road the new highway is to replace.
The project was originally estimated at $140 million. Now it's close to $400 million and the agency wants to move the opening date to 2016.
- More on the Highway 20 delays from KATU News
- Part of project delayed - in 2007
"We continue to struggle with this project," Paul Mather, highway division administrator, told an interim Oregon Senate Committee on Tuesday. "We want to make sure we're looking at the full range of options that we have in front of us."
While most of the landslides have been recorded in the valleys, significant soil movement is now being registered above the hillside cuts through which the roadway would run. Large cracks in three or four spots indicate the potential for major landslides hitting the highway.
"We have to deal with those to proceed with the project," Mather told the committee.
For the realignment to move forward, the department says it would need to buttress the cuts and install more drains in the hillsides.
The department could cover about half of the $176 million with money on hand from other projects that came in below estimates and $15 million the agency received in a settlement with the project's original contractor, Granite Construction of Watsonville, Calif.
The rest of the money would have to come from Oregon's allocation of federal transportation funding, potentially at the expense of other transportation projects throughout the state.
In fiscal years 2013 and 2014, the department expects to receive a combined $970 million from the federal government.
Several legislators expressed concern Tuesday about the project's costs.
"I personally believe that there's plenty of blame to go around to all sorts of parties involved with this project," said Sen. Chris Edwards of Eugene. "I just hope the commission is really considering all the options on the table . At some point, you have to say, 'OK, enough is enough, this isn't working out.'?"
But, Sen. Fred Girod of Stayton said he would hate to see work abandoned.
"If we're looking at connecting rural Oregon to the I-5 corridor, I think this is an essential element to that," he said.
Asked what the ODOT might have done differently in hindsight, Mather said it was a mistake to go with a "design-build" model for the project, outsourcing the design to the contractor.
When Granite's landslide mitigation plan proved insufficient, the company argued that the construction site was different than ODOT had represented. In the May settlement Granite was freed from finishing the project and agreed to return $15 million of the $173 million it had been paid.
"Might have been better to use the experienced engineers at ODOT," said Sen. Lee Beyer of Springfield.
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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
This is an interesting story. I heard (just word of mouth) that the contracting company and the state had got an in argument regarding the best way to proceed. The contracting company argued the stateâs way would not work, but ended up doing it their way anyway. And then the state sued them when it didnât work, just as the contracting company suspected. And then it started all over again with another contracting company and law suit. Again this is just word of mouth/gossip, but it ties in nicely with this story.
So with this article I would have to think itâs only partially the truth. It paints ODOT in a better light and blames the contracting company, and I am not sure thatâs accurate. But definitely agree there is plenty of blame to go around.
I have been/driven on this road probably 1000 times. I remember when construction started (around 10 years ago on the first phase) I was so excited. I thought a straighter road would be so much safer. Idiots on the way to the coast have the tendency to throw caution to the wind on hwy 20. For several years I thought I would likely die in a fiery car crash on hwy 20. Whenever I drove past and saw no work being done I just assumed it was poor work ethic of Lincoln County. And the last few times Iâve been on it it looks like part of it could open any day. But now that I know more (not really the full story) I think Iâm gonna give up hope on this. It obviously is a road to nowhere and at this point a lost cause.
But, it's too big to fail.  With the corrupt  politicians, led by a worthless president running the show, transportation projects will continue to get high priority and our dollars will continue to be wasted on fiascos like this.  The reason construction projects are very popular among our politicians is that they can hide a lot of waste and put it into their pockets, at the same time bragging about putting a handful of people to work on temporary jobs.
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@boomer Like the war in Iraq?
 @WindandWater  We're still stuck in Afghanistan for what reason?
"We want to make sure we're looking at the full range of options that we have in front of us."
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Option A - stop - the future cost from this point outweighs the benefit. what's spent is sunk cost.
So Granite has been paid 158 million for a job that was supposed to have cost 140 million and isn't any where near finished. Who's brainchild was this? Would I be prying if I asked the relationship between Granite and the government officials who gave them the job,functioned as oversight,approved massive cost over runs then settled
for 11% of the amount paid. If this is the quality of elected officials handling our money then bankruptcy here we come.
@PatrickDH10 That's why we need a sales tax. Just for screw ups like this, so the gubmint can spend more money.<sarc off>
Change it's designation from a highway to a light rail corridor then the 400Mil would look like chump change
Hint: If there is so much land shifting going on, it's not a good idea to build a road and bridge there! Makes total logical sense to me. But then again, I don't think politicians use logical cents.Â
 @washcomom Nice pun, there at the end! ];->
 @Gravity Works! Thanks! =) Merry Christmas!
'Senator on Hwy 20 fiasco: 'plenty of blame to go around'
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...and, plenty of taxpayer money to spend.Â
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Here's an idea, how about we fund basic services, schools, and police/prison... THEN we decide if a few more twists and turns in the highway are a problem?
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Personally, getting all the 'ducks in a row' insofar as the CRC is of significantly more importance to me than making the roadway between Corvallis and Newport straight.Â
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But, there I go trying to co-mingle the concepts of fiscal priorities and government spending.Â
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..as my daughter would say, 'Silly Daddy'.
I'm sure glad they are only using that funny money not the real stuff.
Inadequate planning, inadequate engineering, and inadequate project management. Nothing more need be said.
 @I812 'Nothing more need be said.'
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Oh, not true... There HAS to be committees and reviews and studies and investigations and reports and polices and reviews of the committees and policies of the investigations and committees to oversee the reports.....
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all at the expense of the taxpayer. Who is then told there is a gynormous 'budget deficit' for the next fiscal year that means we have to raise taxes.Â
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Government and efficency are mutually exclusive concepts.Â
Why is it that this state continues to allow so much building on hillsides without checking it out first? I remember reading a few years ago about some high end homes that were destroyed in a mud slide. I am not from Oregon, but have been here long enough to realize it rains, and rains a lot, and would definitely have the ground checked for stability before I built anything.
 @Willow ~  Good points, Willow... but see, you're using reasoning and rational / logical THOUGHT.  Unfortunately, we don't have anyone running the State of Oregon that has even a passing acquaintance with either of those concepts...  :-)
Gee why does it seem it is always the government that can't seem to do a project on a large budget without taking multiple tries to get it right and 5x what the cost should be. Can't wait for them to take over my healthcare...
This is what you get with the lowest bidder wins concept required in todayâs "money above all things" climate.
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You spend a "Made In China" amount of money for your highway you get a "Made In China" quality of highway.
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This HWY project has proven just about as useful as that "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska.