OR242: McKenzie Pass Pavement Preservation US Forest Service Appropriation and Paving Project Background

• Region 4 Management was contacted by the US Forest Service about a public complaints revolving around the yearly closure of the highway during winter months. • The main USFS concern was that there has been no official appropriation (Federal Easement/Grant) defining ODOT right of way versus USFS interest. Who is responsible for the highway formally? ODOT… Duh.. • Initial discussions began with identifying the sections of OR242 that needed to be defined in the appropriation. Most all of it from Belknap to Sisters… • Met with USFS, Region 4, and Region 2. Identified that Region 4 had a STIP paving project scheduled for the R4 section of the highway. That gave us a project expenditure account to cover our survey costs for the appropriation survey. • In addition to the USFS appropriation we also needed to support the paving project which included 15 miles of paving from Dee Wright to Sisters. • In December of 2020 the scope crept a bit by adding the ADA ramps near the town of Sisters. Project Charter/Description The OR 242: McKenzie Pass Pavement Preservation Project (MP 77.30 - 92.22 / Z92.03) will improve access to federal recreation areas in the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, including destinations in the Mount Washington Wilderness Area, Wilderness Area, and along the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

The project will improve conditions for people driving and bicycling by resurfacing the roadway between and US 20, rebuilding shoulders and bike lanes where they are degraded or substandard, removing safety hazards adjacent to travel lanes, and replacing or repairing signs and warning systems throughout the corridor.

The project also includes the installation of accessible bathrooms at Cold Springs Campground and Picnic Site and at Dee Wright Observatory, bicycle parking at Dee Wright Observatory, and pullouts and interpretive panels throughout the corridor.

Formal Appropriation covering the existing highway location. Traditionally, USFS appropriations are 66’ feet on either side of the center line. (That is what we chose use in this case because we are not trying to follow the old alignment, as much as we are trying to cover our existing improvements.) Overview The pavement does need some help… History

• According to our records the State of , through the Oregon Department of Transportation • (ODOT), has a right-of-way for the McKenzie Highway. However, there are no easements of record establishing the right-of-way boundary width or location. Highway 242 was established by State legislation in 1866 when an act was created authorizing construction of a military road. Authority was filed with the Secretary of State in Linn County. In the statutes of Oregon, 1855, page 491, it is stated "The width of all territorial roads shall be 60 feet". The General Laws, 1903, page 272, state "all territorial roads in this state are hereby declared to be county roads". Therefore, it is assumed that Highway 242 is a public road with a 60 foot easement, (30 feet each side of centerline). • The McKenzie Highway was originally the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Wagon Road per the 1897 and prior GLO plats of the area. This road was the only way to get cattle from the Willamette Valley to Eastern Oregon. GLO plat of the area circa 1870

OSHD Drawing 4B-2-8 – Construction Line, not monumented, Chain on Chain width Current Conditions

• Region 2 side is very difficult country to work in. Heavily treed, thick brush and steep country. Some lava fields up high. Not conducive to using GNSS… • Region 4 side used to be heavily treed until several different forest fires went through the area in the past few years. Mostly open sky, lava fields up high all around the Dee Wright Observatory and the start of our project at Mile post 77. • Significant Elevation change obviously… • GNSS feasible for Region 4, some cell coverage issues. Mt. Washington. The PLSS in these townships are mostly protracted boundary sections. What a wonderful place to work… To Do list… Field Work

• Mission Plan – two OCRS ZONES • Set pre marks • As-built of the highway – mobile scan constrained • Geometronics produced the clouds for us - excellent work as usual • Recover section corners where actually set • Set control – will also be used as network monuments per ORS 209.150 • Utilities, pocket DTMs, differential levels where needed District 10 Maintenance did a great job getting the road back open after the fires. Fair amount of lava rock… yikes… After the fires, maintenance had to open up the silted in culverts and remove hazard trees. These areas needed to be included in the appropriation for future maintenance as well. Somebody had to work… The rest of us just stood around taking pictures and pointing…. Final Products

• USFS Plats for each OCRS Zone per Right of Way Engineering Manual • New right of way maps for each section • Right of way base maps and alignments • Control and Retracement maps, two counties • Base Map DGN • Pocket DTMS where needed • Survey Control Data Sheets Results

• $140k+/- • Initial field work took about 4 months • Additional field work off and on to support ADA ramp added last fall to the project. • Still finishing the project up. We have completed - two FS plats around 100+ sheets with area breakdowns for two townships. • Working on Two B-maps for the new rights of way and alignments • Working on Two control and retracement maps. • More Files expected with the ADA Ramps Thoughts

• Pretty cool job we were able to use a lot of the tools available to us in our tool box. • We were able to incorporate our cadastral, route, topographic and boundary skill sets to produce a very large project. • This project has it all, USFS grants, District requests, Public involvement, Federal Stake holders, ADA ramp program impacts…. Oh and it would be really nice to pave it too…. • My personal goal for this project is to leave enough evidence behind me that future surveyors will be able retrace and recreate the highway right for generations to come. The end…. But not the end of the road…