Problem Intersections: County scales back Tucker Rd. widening project

The board took a pared down option to fix just the Orchard Road curve, which they identified as the most concerning intersection of the trio. Commissioners effectively backburnered the other two jobs, slating them for early conceptual work but not construction.

If carried out in full, the realignment endeavor would have widened lanes and shoulders to accommodate turning freight trucks.

However, project partners at Oregon Department of Transportation told county staff last month the project cost has increased by about $946,274 due in part to soil testing requirements that weren’t factored into the original plan.

ODOT will require that environmental testing before the project can move forward.

The county and ODOT entered a local agency agreement last February stating ODOT would pay $2.7 million toward the realignment project, while the county would cover $315,000 in matching funds, as well as any costs that ran over the state agency’s portion.

Last month, commissioners heard the “bad news,” as Jeff Hecksel, county administrator, put it, that the county was on the hook to pay more than planned.

“It’s a pretty significant hit to the fund if you do all these (intersections),” Hecksel told the board Monday.

The ballpark estimate surprised commissioners.

“It’s staggering,” County Chair Ron Rivers said.

Mikel Diwan, county public works director, and Don Wiley, county engineer, presented the board with a list of eight options, ranging from partial rollout to cancelling the project. They said the county will either need to narrow down the project somewhat or dig into the county road fund.

Even putting the brakes on the project has a cost — ODOT would require 100 percent reimbursement for its staff time and other costs if the county pulls out.

Option 7, which the board chose, has the county paying $391,890, or $76,818 more than the initial estimate. It covers all phases of the Nobi’s Corner realignment, including construction, but only early designs for the Guignard and Country Club aspects.

Tucker Road is a part of the state highway system under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Transportation Commission, while Guignard Drive, Orchard Road, Country Club Road and Barrett Drive fall under the county road system. (The Orchard Road curve is nicknamed Nobi’s Corner after Nobi’s Gas and Drive-Thru Deli.)

Nobi’s Corner came up as the most expensive hurdle to fix, but also the most dire to tackle.

Commissioner Les Perkins said he had recently been to the corner and commented, “It’s a disaster.”

Commissioners indicated the county will wait and see how the Orchard Road project pans out, and what final costs result, before proceeding on the other intersections.

The county also held a hearing Monday regarding AGA Road, a county road that branches south of Tucker Road and cuts through Odell.

The county aims to add pedestrian sidewalks to the west side of the road, but must first settle a right-of-way complication.

County records, tracing back to 1880, give an inaccurate road description that’s about 100 feet east of its actual location, according to a report by Wiley. Thus, the county board on Monday approved legalizing the road according to an updated survey.