ODOT sign crews prep for higher speed limits

Next Tuesday, speed limits on several rural Oregon highways, including stretches of U.S. highways 20 and 97, will increase from 55 to 65 miles per hour. NewsChannel 21 went out with ODOT crews on Wednesday as they began putting up new signs in preparation for the big change.

It took some time and coordination before ODOT was given the green light to increase the speed limit, as lawmakers directed several months ago.

“Last fall, we came through and we installed the concrete bases,” said Rolon Williams, sign manager for ODOT’s Region 4. “We have concrete and a steel tube that’s embedded in it. We installed that last fall, because (with) the snow and ice, we couldn’t guarantee it would be good weather this time of year.”

After installing the concrete bases, the team spent the winter putting the signs together. They get bolted onto a malleable metal rod, which is then cut down so it’s seven feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign.

“This last week and a half, we’ve been going out and installing signs and putting them into the correct base,” Williams said. “Each sign location has GPS coordinates and the milepost, so they’re all staged out on a map.”

These signs are not easy to lift, which is why the crews come out ahead of time. This way, once March 1 arrives, the crews can speedily make the change.

“So we’re putting them all in and turning them away from traffic 90 degrees,” Williams said. “And then on the first, all we have to do is have a few people on each crew go down and turn the signs and bolt them in and level them.”

The speed limit will also increase on parts of Interstate 84, U.S. 95 and OR 78.

The speed limit will increase to 70 mph on some major highways in eastern Oregon.

The Legislature set aside $735,000 to cover the costs of changing the 275 signs on hundreds of rural highway miles.

For more information and a map of the changes, visit:

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/COMM/Pages/Speed-Limit-Increases-in-2016.aspx