North Fork Road in the Lyons area has earned significant federal funding for Marion County to pursue two projects: paving the road and making the route safer for residents and visitors to the popular recreation area.
Marion County Public Works received $1.5 million from the Western Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration to pave overlays on about 12 miles of the road from Highway 22 to Salmon Falls Park, county engineer Cynthia Schmitt said.
“Those funds were available to us because North Fork Road is the only designated federal forest highway in Marion County ... so that makes it eligible for additional funds set aside for resource lands,” Schmitt said.
Contractor North Santiam Paving will start work on the project in late August and finish in September. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and flaggers will guide motorists.
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) announced Friday that the county received an additional $802,600 in federal grant money from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a second project on North Fork Road that will start next year.
"These grants come at a pivotal point in Oregon's economic recovery," Schrader said in a statement. "Continuing to improve the quality and safety of our transportation corridors means jobs for Oregonians, increased commerce for our businesses and enhanced livability for our communities. These kind of high return investments are the ones our federal government needs to be making as our nation's economy works to strengthen."
With the grant funds, Marion County will pave an additional two miles of the road, upgrade signs and striping and conduct safety assessments, officials said.
The county will conduct engineering work through the winter, with an eye toward starting the second project in the spring and summer of 2013, Schmitt said.
Marion County Commissioner Sam Brentano said the road, similar to others in Western Oregon, has suffered every winter from steep, unstable slopes and landslide activity.
“It’s been a constant struggle and we hope every time we do something it will be enough to minimize the risk,” Brentano said.
Brentano said the two projects will make the area safer for residents and visitors.
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