Oregon Highway 22 paving project getting underway to cause months of delays for drivers between Bend and Salem

(Update: Adding ODOT info that the project is expected to last months)

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- People driving between Bend and Salem likely will experience delays starting this week and possibly all summer as construction crews repair and repave state Highway 22 between Big Cliff Dam and Mongold Day Use Area, the Salem Statesman-Journal reports.

The highway surface in that area is breaking apart and cracking, and maintenance crews are having to do more frequent repairs and patching to keep the road usable, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.

There will be lane closures with flaggers, and at times, a pilot car will guide traffic through the stretch of the North Santiam Highway between Gates and Detroit.

ODOT said road construction crews will start by repairing the existing road and expect to start repaving lanes in mid-May. Crews will be working during the day and night during the project.

ODOT said the work also will include new striping, installing rumble strips in the center of the road, replacing guardrails, installing rockfall fencing on the side of hills, and bridge repair.

The rumble strips will create sound and vibration, alerting drivers they're crossing into oncoming traffic, ODOT said. 

Asked how long the work is expected to last, ODOT Public Information Officer David House told NewsChannel 21, "With so many variables, especially weather, it’s hard to tell, but we are talking months and maybe all summer and even into fall."

The project cost is estimated at more than $6.8 million.

​Pedestrians, including those with disabilities, will have access through or around work zones, ODOT said. ​