Year-round construction on High Desert road projects is here to stay due to milder winters, modern equipment

(Update: Adding video, comments from Bend, Deschutes County, ODOT officials)

Avoiding peak tourist/visitor season is one factor; milder winters another

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – For many years, it seemed that the bigger Central Oregon road construction projects were done primarily in the summer, perhaps also starting or ending in the spring/fall “shoulder seasons,” with little major work done over the colder, snowier winter months.

But in recent years, it's been obvious to motorists that plenty of big projects have been underway straight through the often-milder winters, stopping only when snow or extreme cold dictate a pause.

Why? We reached out to local officials about some of the factors that may be playing a role. Peak visitor season is a primary factor, but so are milder winters of late.

According to Deschutes County Road Department director Chris Doty, an influx of visitors and milder winters is contributing to the year-round construction.

"Central Oregon is just booming, and there's only so many hours in the year to get stuff done," he said Tuesday. "And when the weather cooperates -- and it has been in recent winters, we're taking advantage of that certainly.

"We have big, powerful excavating and earth-moving equipment nowadays, and the ground doesn't freeze the way it used to, so it's pretty get-able," Doty added

City of Bend Transportation and Mobility director David Abbas says improvements in modern construction equipment allow for more projects to be built throughout the year.

"There's been leaps and bounds in improvements in equipment and being able to be more efficient," he said. "Which is good, because we have a lot more work to do."

The multiple projects around town, including the Oregon Department of Transportation's Highway 20 project that's adding two more roundabouts as you enter Bend, are partly trying to avoid Bend's peak tourism season, summertime.

ODOT Region 4 Public Information Officer Kacey Davey says the agency tries to do as much work as possible before mid-summer arrives, "so we do as much as we can not right in the middle of summer. So in fall, sometimes in winter and spring. And sometimes we have to do projects in the summer, because there are some things that are very weather-dependent that you just can't do in the middle of winter."

Davey says ODOT tries to find ways around construction at peak traffic times, "so we do a lot of project work at nighttime when there is less traffic, or we try to just take one lane instead of half the road."

Construction during winter also helps contractors employ people throughout previous slow months. "So if contractors are able to chase a project and get a project, they can keep their folks busy during the winter. They'll do that, and there is value in that -- value means lower prices" Doty said.

The likelihood of no big construction projects taking place in the region any time soon is out of the question. ODOT says their Highway 20 improvements on Cooley Road and the related Highway 97 reroute are a long way from completion.

"We're aiming to be done at the end of 2024, and you'll be seeing year-round work on that project, because we really want to get that one done as soon as we can," Davey said. "Because this is a big project, with a lot of work and a lot of aspects going on."

Earlier, ODOT Central Oregon and Lower John Day Area Manager Robert Townsend told us, “There are still certain types of activities that can only be done during times of the year that have warmer weather, but we have always tried to do as much construction as possible outside of the high tourism months of the summer in Central Oregon.”

However, he added,  “I would say that for the last 15 years or maybe a little more, we have looked at opportunities to complete construction outside of the heavier traffic volume months of the summer.”

“In addition, with such mild winters the last few years, we aren’t seeing contractors take whole months off, so some of it is just perception around what road work is occurring,” Townsend added. “Big paving projects generally still occur May through September, during warmer temperatures.”

Doty offered these thoughts:

1.       Growth:  The amount of growth has generated demand, but also brings resources (public and private) to invest in infrastructure. 

2.       Weather:  We have milder winters now versus back in the day. The snow is itinerant. It does not hang around as longs as it used to. With the exception of paving and other minor elements, the construction season is year-round.

3.       Funding cycle:  Specific to transportation, HB 2017 (2017 legislative cycle) provided significant resources for transportation infrastructure (US 97 North End, US 20 Projects); most county projects are attributed to HB 2017 funding.

4.       More to maintain:  More infrastructure means more maintenance.  Maintenance management systems are much more sophisticated as well, which means pro-active projects to maintain or replace infrastructure prior to failure.

5.       Complexity:  You can get a lot of capacity out of a 2-lane road and a pair of stop signs, but it is limited nonetheless.  Adding capacity beyond that will require a sophisticated construction project.  See #1.

6.       Contractor availability:  Government agencies contract work that used to be self-performed.  Contracted work can occur when agencies are geared up for seasonal maintenance (snow/ice) and other seasonal activities. We have a vibrant contracting community locally and bidding work that can take place during traditional slow seasons can result in favorable pricing. 

"These are my observations (ie, not backed by data, as that would be cumbersome).  There has been a shift for a variety of reasons," Doty wrote.

Abbas concluded Tuesday's interview by telling us: "Operation and maintenance never goes away. It's always there, so there will always be something. But you combine all of those things together, and it's like, 'Wow, there is a lot going on in town."