By Patrick Lair
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007 12:00 am
LEBANON - Berlin Road will be closed this week between Brewster Road and East Grant Street as crews replace the railroad tracks crossing the intersection. The closure is expected to continue through Friday.
Traffic will be rerouted via Golden Valley Drive and Hidden Valley Road, a distance of about six miles.
The railroad tracks will be realigned at more of a 90-degree angle and rebuilt with a concrete slope. Crossing gates will eventually replace the wig wag.
While the tracks are out this week, the city will also install a sewer line beneath the intersection, which could someday provide service to developments east of the river, such as the potential Ridgeway Butte project. A sewer line will run beneath the new Grant Street bridge and connect to the intersection.
At a later date, a concrete island and turning lane will also be added to the intersection, Senior Engineer Ron Whitlatch said.
The Berlin Road work is part of the project to replace the Grant Street bridge. The new bridge is expected to be in operation later this year.
Once the new bridge is functional, Grant Street traffic will be rerouted over the bridge and the old bridge will later be removed by demolition. Grant Street is not expected to close during that process.
Building the new bridge is a $7.459 million project funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The current bridge, 40 years old, was slated for replacement due to concerns over cracks in its spans on both sides and fears over how the bridge would withstand an earthquake.
Patrick Lair can be reached at patrick.lair@lee.net or 258-6441.