Third Biennial Report of the Oregon State Highway Commission Part 20

During the short time the party was in the field, 15.6 miles of location were staked, a six per cent grade from the summit of Green Springs Mountain toward Ashland being obtained, whereas the present road has many stretches over 20 per cent. Also, over a section between the Green Springs Summit and Jenny Creek, 9 miles to the south, a location has been obtained that will give for the greater distance, very cheap construction and the lightest of grades. This will be appreciated by all who have traveled the present rocky road with its series of bad grades.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ON THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY SOUTH OF WOLF CREEK IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY. CONSTRUCTED IN 1917 AND 1918]

This road is a very vital one to the Rogue River and Klamath Valleys. At present it is only pa.s.sable during summer months for auto traffic, while a road built on standard line and grades would soon make it an all year highway.

There will be an enormous exchange of commodities between the two valleys when the road is constructed. It will make a three hour auto trip between Ashland and Klamath Falls, which now takes 8 hours by train via Weed, California.

The location will be resumed in the spring, and continued to Klamath Falls. Surveys have been in charge of Mr. J. H. Scott, locating engineer.

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Jefferson is the only county in Eastern Oregon that has not applied for State aid in some form. This County has been included in the State's general Post Road scheme and doubtless will receive early attention from the State Highway Commission.

The State Highway Commission has ordered a reconnaissance survey made from Kingsley and Tygh Valley in Wasco County south through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation into Jefferson County along the west side of the Deschutes River. This investigation will be made during the coming spring.

The County is traversed by The Dalles-California Highway which will be a very important road. The Antelope-Mitch.e.l.l Highway also pa.s.ses through the northeast corner of the County.

JOSEPHINE COUNTY

During the two year period covered by this report, a very marked improvement has been made in the Pacific Highway across Josephine County. During this time 8.2 miles, or more than one-quarter of the total mileage of this highway in the County, were completed on standard grades and alignment, eliminating some of the heaviest and most dangerous grades between Portland and the California Line. The work done by the State consisted of the grading of a 4.9 mile section between Wolf Creek and Grave Creek in the northern part of the County, and the grading of a one mile section, known as the Locust Hill Section, about three miles south of Grants Pa.s.s. The work done by the County consisted of 2.3 miles of grading between Locust Hill and the Jackson County Line.

This County work was contracted under State Highway Department specifications and was engineered by the Department engineers.

In addition to this construction work, location surveys were made over 23.6 miles of the Pacific Highway, completing the location across the County. These surveys were made in three sections: One from Wolf Creek to Grave Creek; one from Grants Pa.s.s to Grave Creek; and one from Wolf Creek to Stage Road Pa.s.s.

The total amount of money expended by the State in Josephine County during the fiscal years 1917 and 1918 was $77,998.14, and the amount expended by Josephine County under State supervision was approximately $8,500.00. Some considerable amount of work was also done by the County in grading just south of Grants Pa.s.s. While this work was not under State supervision, it was on the State survey and is standard as regards grade, alignment, cross-section, etc.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ON THE WOLF CREEK-GRAVE CREEK SECTION OF THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY. GRADED IN 1918]

Grading--Wolf Creek to Grave Creek

To eliminate four very heavy grades on the Pacific Highway between Wolf Creek and Grave Creek in Northern Josephine County, the Highway Commission appropriated funds for the grading of a 4.9 mile section between those points. The contract for the work was awarded to the American Exploration and Construction Company of Grants Pa.s.s on November 6, 1917. This construction was practically all on steep side-hills, and as only a small part of the material to be moved was hard rock, the job was an ideal one for steam shovel operation and over fifty per cent of the total yardage was moved by this method. The work was handled by the contractors in a very creditable manner, and an excellent roadbed was secured.

The grading was completed on October 20, 1918. The width of roadbed is 20 feet and the maximum grade is 5 per cent. Mr. J. E. Nelson was in charge of the work as resident engineer.

It is expected that this section will be macadamized during the 1919 season.

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT--GRADING--WOLF CREEK TO GRAVE CREEK

Engineering $ 4,872.94 Culvert Pipe furnished by State 3,846.45 Payments to Contractor for Work as follows: Clearing and Grubbing $ 3,500.00 Common Excavation, 29,426 cu. yds. at .45 13,241.70 Intermediate Excavation, 21,258 cu. yds. at .45 9,566.10 Solid Rock Excavation, 21,558 cu. yds. at $1.25 26,947.50 Overhaul, per 100 lin. ft., 6,767 cu. yds.

at .02 135.34 12" Concrete Pipe, 1,077 lin. ft. at .55 592.35 18" Corr. Galv. Iron Pipe, 581.5 lin. ft. at .40 232.60 24" Corr. Galv. Iron Pipe, 162.5 lin. ft. at .50 81.25 30" Corr. Galv. Iron Pipe, 127.5 lin. ft. at .60 76.50 36" Corr. Galv. Iron Pipe, 166.5 lin. ft. at .75 124.87 Cla.s.s "A" Concrete, 44.67 cu. yds. at $22.50 1,005.07 Cla.s.s "C" Concrete, 66.72 cu. yds. at $18.00 1,200.96 6" Porous Drain Tile, 400 lin. ft. at .40 160.00 Trestle Timber, 45,968 f. b. m., at $45.00 2,068.56 Metal Reinforcement, 2,506 lbs. at .15 375.90 Extra Clearing, 1.75 acres at $100.00 175.00 Painting Railings on Coyote Creek and Dry Gulch Bridges (Force Account) 74.94 Gravel Backfilling for Drain Tile (Force Account) 23.50 Culvert Pipe furnished by State 3,846.45 --------- Total Paid to Contractors 59,582.14 ---------- Total Cost of Work $68,301.53

Grading--Locust Hill Section

To complete the grading of the Pacific Highway between Grants Pa.s.s and Rogue River, the Highway Commission set aside funds for the construction of the Locust Hill Section, a section one mile in length located about three miles south of Grants Pa.s.s. The contract for this work was awarded to Albert Anderson & Co. of Grants Pa.s.s, and the construction was completed about June 1, 1918.

The necessary engineering supervision of this work was given by Mr. J.

E. Nelson, resident engineer of the Wolf Creek-Grave Creek Section.

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT--GRADING LOCUST HILL SECTION

Engineering $ 162.88 Construction: Clearing and Grubbing $ 125.00 Common Excavation, 692 cu. yds. at .53 366.76 Intermediate Excavation, 2,552 cu. yds. at .63 1,607.76 Solid Rock Excavation, 1,954 cu. yds. at $1.20 2,344.80 Overhaul per 100 lin. ft., 3,159 cu. yds. at .03 94.77 12" Plain Conc. Pipe, 168 lin. ft. at $1.00 168.00 -------- 4,707.09 -------- Total Cost $ 4,869.97

County Construction--Locust Hill to Jackson County Line

In the Spring of 1917, the County Court of Josephine County requested the Highway Department to engineer for them the construction of 2.3 miles of grading on the Pacific Highway between Locust Hill and the Jackson County Line. Plans and specifications were prepared for this work by the Highway Department and it was let by the County Court in two units: one to Albert Anderson & Co., of Grants Pa.s.s; the other to S. S.

Sch.e.l.l of Oakland, Oregon.

The construction engineering was handled by the State Highway Department under resident engineer H. C. Compton. The work was completed in September, 1917, the total cost to the County being approximately $8,500.00.

The final estimate to Albert Anderson & Co., was as follows:

FINAL ESTIMATE TO ALBERT ANDERSON--GRADING BETWEEN LOCUST HILL AND JACKSON COUNTY LINE

Clearing, lump sum bid $ 800.00 Common Excavation, 3,887.1 cu. yds. at .43 1,671.45 Intermediate Excavation, 3,931.3 cu. yds. at .63 2,476.72 Solid Rock Excavation, 650.0 cu. yds. at $1.15 747.50 12" Plain Concrete Pipe, 320 lin. ft. at .90 288.00 18" Plain Concrete Pipe, 78 lin. ft. at $1.45 113.10 24" Plain Concrete Pipe, 56 lin. ft. at $2.10 117.60 Cla.s.s "C" Concrete, 14.94 cu. yds. at $14.50 216.63 6" Drain Tile, 100 lin. ft. at .22 22.00 Run-of-bank Gravel, 6 cu. yds. at $1.35 8.10 Overhaul, per 100 lin. ft., 730 cu. yds. at .02 14.60 ---------- Total $ 6,475.70

Survey--Wolf Creek to Grave Creek

The old county road between Wolf Creek and Grave Creek on the Pacific Highway in Northern Josephine County, pa.s.sed over two summits about 250 feet above the valley levels of Grave and Wolf Creeks, giving four long, heavy grades, in some places the grade being as high as 25 per cent.

These two summits were about one mile apart, and the nature of the ground was such that support could be had for a practically level grade between the two.

With a view to locating this level grade between the summits and developing five per cent grades down the sides, a preliminary survey was made in October and November, 1916, under the direction of Mr. S. H.

Probert. This survey was worked up in the office during January and February, 1917, and in July, 1917, the projected location was staked on the ground by Mr. C. C. Kelley, locating engineer.

The length of the survey was 4.9 miles, the terminal points being about three-quarters of a mile east of Wolf Creek Post Office and about three-quarters of a mile west of the Grave Creek Bridge.

The construction of this section, which was undertaken in the fall of 1917, is described in another article in this report.

Survey--Wolf Creek to Stage Road Pa.s.s

[Ill.u.s.tration: ON THE WOLF CREEK-GRAVE CREEK SECTION OF THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY. GRADED IN 1918]

This survey begins about three-quarters of a mile south of the Wolf Creek Post Office and follows, in a general way, the present county roads into the town of Wolf Creek and from Wolf Creek to a point about two miles south of Stage Road Pa.s.s. At this point it connects with a survey made by the Highway Department in 1915, and which is the location survey for a five per cent grade down from State Road Pa.s.s, which pa.s.s is on the line between Douglas and Josephine Counties.

The length of the survey from east of Wolf Creek to the connection with the previous survey is 2.5 miles. It was made in July, 1917, under the direction of Mr. C. C. Kelley, locating engineer.

Survey--Grants Pa.s.s to Grave Creek

To complete the location of the Pacific Highway across Josephine County, a survey was made in 1917 between Grants Pa.s.s and Grave Creek. This survey follows, in a general way, the present road between those points, deviating from it only where improvements in alignment or grade can be secured. The most important feature of this location is that it is on a five per cent grade over the s.e.xton Mountain Summit. The total length of the survey is 17.2 miles. Mr. C. C. Kelley was in charge of the work as locating engineer.