Third biennial report of the Oregon State Highway Commission

by Simon Benson; R. A. Booth; Herbert Nunn; W. L. Thompson

COLUMBIA COUNTY

The State Highway Department expended in Columbia County during 1917 and 1918, the sum of $488,302.15, which is the largest amount expended in any one county in the state. With this amount the following work was completed:

2.5	miles of bituminous paving.
27.2	miles of broken stone macadam.
8.2	miles of grading.
11	reinforced concrete bridges.
2	reinforced concrete box culverts.

All of this work is on the Columbia River, and all but the 2.5 miles of paving is between the Clatsop County Line and a point about two miles east of Goble.

Multnomah County Line-Scappoose Paving

A contract was awarded to the Warren Construction Company, August 22, 1917, for 2.5 miles of bitulithic pavement sixteen feet wide on crushed rock base, with two foot macadam shoulders. The old road bed on this section was in excellent condition for base for pavement being old macadam about sixteen feet in width. The grade was followed closely, scarified, and clean crushed rock spread over the entire surface and rolled. Material was borrowed along each side to obtain the required twenty-four foot of roadbed.

A sixteen foot span wooden bridge was replaced by an 8x10 feet reinforced concrete culvert built by Lindstrom Bros. on the basis of cost plus ten per cent.

CONSTRUCTION COST OF CULVERT

Class A concrete, 64 cu. yds. at $22.43		$ 1,435.64
Reinforcing steel, 2,900 lbs. at 8c		232.00
		$ 1,667.64
Contractors percentage		166.96
	Total Cost	$ 1,834.60

Paving work was started November 5, 1917, and completed December 20, with the exception of about 200 feet of new fill made at the culvert which was completed in June, 1918.

Engineering work was done by P. W. Marx, under the supervision of Chas. H. Whitmore, assistant engineer.

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT—PAVING—MULTNOMAH
COUNTY LINE TO SCAPPOOSE

Engineering				$ 1,364.28
Right-of-way attorney fees				35.00
Contract Construction Work as follows:
	Common excavation, 800 cu. yds. at 45c		$ 360.00
	Standard Bith. pavement, 24,248.2 sq. yds. at $1.17		28,370.39
	Broken stone, loose measure, 3,115.5 cu. yds. at $1.90		5,919.45
	Broken stone shoulders, 26,974 lin. ft. at 5c		1,348.70
	Force account:
		34 feet of 12-inch corrugated iron pipe and 120 feet of 6-inch porous drain tile	254.77
	Total paid to contractor			$ 36,253.31
		Total cost		$ 37,652.59

Westport-Clatskanie Macadam

On the Clatskanie-Westport Section, which extended from Clatskanie to the Clatsop County Line, the work was handled originally by the Warren Construction Company, on a cost plus ten per cent. basis. The State Highway Department took this work over December 26, 1917, and from that time on the work was handled by this Department. This work consisted of 8.62 miles of sixteen-foot waterbound macadam.

On this section the costs show that the Warren Construction Company laid crushed rock slightly cheaper than the State. However, the State did all the finishing on this section, which is more expensive than laying the base rock and it was necessary to raise the wages twenty-five per cent. after the work was taken over by the Department. C. L. Grutze was resident engineer on this work.

COST STATEMENT—WESTPORT-CLATSKANIE MACADAM

Item		Unit	Quantity	Total cost	Unit cost
By Warren Construction Co. on cost plus contract—
Clearing and grubbing		Acres	1⁄2	$ 49.87	$ 99.74
Excavation		Cu. yd.	6,200	6,820.70	1.10
6-ft. by 12-in. drain pipe		Foot	1,085	2,752.38	2.80
Water-bound macadam		[9]Cu. yd.	7,742	27,698.87	3.59
Engineering				497.03
By State Forces—
Excavation		Cu. yd.	8,299	5,594.75	.67
6-ft. by 12-in. drain pipe (laying)		Foot	298	21.05	.07
Water-bound macadam		Cu. yd.	17,977	68,168.50	3.79
Engineering				25.09
	Total cost	...	...	$ 111,628.24	...

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[9] 4,972 cu. yds. purchased at cost of $5,966.40, all other rock crushed on this job.

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Clatskanie-Delena Macadam

The section extending from a point three miles east of Clatskanie to a point two and one-half miles east of Delena, known as the Clatskanie-Delena Section, was completed by L. O. Herrold on a basis of cost plus ten per cent. This work consisted of eleven miles of sixteen foot waterbound macadam, one and one-tenth miles of nine foot waterbound macadam and all necessary grading, drainage, etc. The foundation on part of this section was very poor and 10,233 cubic yards of rubble base was used in order to make satisfactory foundation for macadam. While this increased the cost of the macadam, it was the only way in which a permanent foundation could be secured on this section. P. M. Hall-Lewis was resident engineer on this work.

COST STATEMENT—CLATSKANIE-DELENA MACADAM
(COST PLUS 10 PER CENT)

Item		Cost
Engineering		$ 5,998.96
General construction		11,759.14
Clearing and grubbing		892.37
Excavation and embankment		22,529.95
Drainage structures		3,596.27
Miscellaneous structures		1,454.76
Quarrying and crushing		43,714.47
Placing, rolling, sprinkling, etc.		46,502.97
Camp construction and operation		111.51
	Total	$ 136,560.40

This work includes 25,405 cubic yards of excavation, 22,170 cubic yards of crushed rock macadam and 10,298 cubic yards of rubble base, besides numerous small structures, drains, etc.

Delena-Goble Macadam

Clark & Dibble of Rainier contracted with the Highway Department to construct five and seven-tenths miles of broken stone macadam between Delena and Goble. The prices at which this work was taken by the contractors was very low, and the result was that almost from the first the work was handicapped by lack of proper finances. It became evident to the Department that the contractor would be unable to complete all of this work before the winter rains set in, so to facilitate matters and to provide a passable road for the winter, the Department took over the part of the work between Rainier and Goble after about $10,000.00 worth of work had been done on this part by Clark & Dibble. The work of the Highway Department on this section is described in the article on the Rainier-Goble macadam.

Clark & Dibble successfully carried to completion the two and one-tenths miles of macadam west of Rainier. A complete statement of the costs of the work handled by the contractors is given below.

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT—
MACADAM—DELENA TO GOBLE

Engineering				$ 2,519.50
Construction—
	Common excavation, 938 cu. yds. at 40c		$ 375.20
	Intermediate excavation, 75 cu. yds. at 60c		45.00
	Solid rock excavation, 25 cu. yds. at $ 1.15		28.75
	Broken stone macadam, 12,911.5 cu. yds. at $ 2.18		28,147.07
	12-inch corrugated iron pipe, 420 lin. ft. at $ 1.30		546.00
	Clay filler, 1,403 cu. yds. at $ 1.00		1,403.00
	Force Account—
		Lowering 18-inch corrugated iron culverts	55.78
		Lengthening existing culverts and opening ditches	15.62
		18-inch corrugated iron pipe, 80 lin. ft.	235.43
		Clearing slides and ditching near Prescott	2,201.47
		Removal of slides	1,377.22
		Side ditches for macadam work	336.97
		Preparation of subgrade for macadam	330.65
		Spreading, sprinkling, and rolling macadam	27.07
			35,125.23
	Less credit for 24 days use of State roller at $ 5.00		120.00
	Total amount paid to contractor			35,005.23
		Total cost	$ 37,524.73

Rainier-Goble Macadam

In Columbia County the State Highway Department laid twenty-four and one-tenth miles of sixteen foot waterbound macadam and four and two-tenths miles of nine foot waterbound macadam between Goble and the Clatsop County Line. Of this the [Rainier-Goble Section] was taken over from the contractors, Clark & Dibble, after being partly completed. This was done in order to facilitate the work and get the road open for traffic before the rainy season.

While the work done by the State on this section cost more per cubic yard than the contractor was originally receiving, the actual difference in cost for the job was not sufficient to justify the Department in allowing the contractor to proceed with the work which would have entailed leaving the road closed to traffic for another winter.

COST STATEMENT—RAINIER-GOBLE MACADAM (STATE FORCES)

Item		Unit	Amount	Cost	Unit Cost
Engineering				$ 382.85
Intermediate Excavation		Cu. yds.		1,078.97	.72
Quarrying and crushing		Cu. yds.	2,555	3,828.71	1.29
Hauling stone		Cu. yds.	2,555	3,243.99	1.27
Placing and rolling		Cu. yds.	2,555	2,979.22	1.17
Camp construction and operation				719.27
General construction				197.34
	Total	...	...	$ 12,430.35

Goble Macadam Work

A contract was awarded to Warren Construction Company September 4, 1917, for macadamizing the Goble Cut-off on a basis of cost plus ten per cent.

Columbia County has a quarry on the old road about three-fourths of a mile west of Goble, which was equipped with complete crushing outfit and arrangements were made by the contractor for the use of this equipment and all the rock for this job was crushed and hauled from this quarry.

Work was started March 1, 1918, and completed June 25, 1918.

Engineering work was done by H. C. Compton as resident engineer under the supervision of Chas. H. Whitmore.

COST STATEMENT

Construction engineering		$ 548.12
Excavation and embankment		137.24
Drainage		21.11
Quarrying and crushing (6,504 cu. yds. crushed)		9,627.92
Spreading and rolling (6,504 cu. yds.)		5,913.53
Hauling (6,504 cu. yds)		4,371.62
Camp construction and operation		545.61
Corral construction and operation		313.82
	Total cost	$ 21,478.97

Goble Grading Section

A new location of the Columbia River Highway was made from a point two miles east of Goble to Goble Creek and a new concrete bridge built over Goble Creek, making a saving in distance of about one-half mile and doing away with several excessive grades, sharp curves and narrow roadbed, also a dangerous bridge and trestle across Goble Creek.

A rock cut between Goble and Goble Creek was taken out by the S. P. & S. Ry. Co. with steam shovels and the material used by them for riprap, thus making a considerable saving to the State Highway Commission. The material for the west approach to the new bridge was obtained by blasting and barring down rock from a dangerous perpendicular cliff about 1,000 feet west of the bridge, from which large rocks had fallen onto the highway. To make the highway safe it was necessary to remove this material and by using it in the bridge approach, did away with other borrow which would have been necessary. The cliff is about 200 feet high with the highway and S. P. & S. Ry. side by side at the foot, necessitating very light shots and careful work and was completed without accident to men or interruption of traffic on the railroad.

ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY NEAR GOBLE IN COLUMBIA COUNTY.
GRADED AND MACADAMIZED IN 1917 AND 1918

The material for the east approach was obtained by trimming up the cut left by the railroad company.

A contract for grading the cutoff was awarded to the Warren Construction Company, August 7, 1917, and work started in July, 1917. From the east end of the section to Ruben, about one mile in length, the material was handled by teams. Rock work at Ruben and at Goble was sub-let to station men. The fill across the flat between Ruben and Goble was made from side borrow, by using a steam hoisting engine, with boom and clam shell bucket. This work was done in the fall and winter and the material was light loam and sand and very wet, and did not pack very solid in the fill, therefore a strip of rock sixteen feet wide and one foot in thickness, taken from the rock cuts at either end, was placed on the fill and rolled thus making a solid base for the crushed rock macadam.

The engineering work was done by A. F. Pratt, resident engineer and W. E. Eddy, assistant state highway engineer, until October 1, 1917, when it was taken over by H. C. Compton, resident engineer, under the supervision of Chas. H. Whitmore, assistant engineer.

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT—GRADING GOBLE SECTION

Engineering				$ 2,925.64
Guarding S. P. & S. Ry. tracks				527.02
Right-of-way damages				73.56
Rental on State Industrial Ry. track furnished contractor				138.00
Payments to contractor for work as follows:
	Clearing and grubbing		$ 2,085.00
	Common excavation, 20,106.5 cu. yds. at 45c		9,047.92
	Intermediate excavation, 3,534.9 cu. yds. at 70c		2,474.43
	Solid rock excavation, 11,947.2 cu. yds. at $1.15		13,739.28
	12-inch reinforced concrete pipe, 560 lin. ft. at $1.50		840.00
	24-inch reinforced concrete pipe, 92 lin. ft. at $3.30		303.60
	36-inch reinforced concrete pipe, 80 lin. ft. at $5.30		424.00
	Overhaul per 100 lin. ft., 18,032 cu. yds. at 2c		360.64
	Force account—
		Replacing trestle for Warren Packing Co.’s plant, Goble	256.00
		Borrowing approximately 400 cu. yds. rock to cover dirt fill	506.08
		Removal of overhanging rock near Goble Creek bridge	6,454.32
		Widening grade and building fill from Goble postoffice to Goble Creek bridge	5,853.31
		Cutting off rock point to give safe sight distance around curve	47.12
		Removal of slide west of Goble Creek	18.66
		Placing 400 feet drain tile in quicksand	137.01
		Placing timber foundation for culvert	51.05
	Total paid to contractor			$ 42,598.42
Grand total cost				$ 46,262.64

Rainier Hill Grading

On July 30, 1917, a contract was entered into with A. L. Clark of Rainier for the widening of the Rainier Hill Section, a section two and two-tenths miles in length, located just west of Rainier. This work was let under a unit price contract, but the nature of the work was such that a considerable part of it could not be fairly measured and paid for on a unit, and on this part the contractor was allowed cost plus ten per cent. The total cost of this improvement was $6,350.61. A detailed cost statement follows:

DETAILED EXPENDITURE STATEMENT—GRADING—RAINIER HILL SECTION

Engineering				$ 468.38
Construction—
	Common excavation, 1,925 cu. yds. at 30c		$ 577.50
	Intermediate excavation, 1,071.9 cu. yds. at 48c		514.51
	Solid rock excavation, 1,039.7 cu. yds. at $1.25		1,299.62
	Overhaul per 100 lin. ft., 905 cu. yds. at 3c		27.15
	12-inch corrugated iron pipe, 228 lin. ft. at $1.00		228.00
	Force account—
		Excavation for cribbing and placing rip-rap	61.93
		8-foot extension to 36-inch culvert	54.63
		Widening old roadbed, removal of slides and general improvement work not subject to measurement	3,082.56
		Culvert pipe furnished by State	36.33
				5,882.23
Total cost				$ 6,350.61

Beaver Valley Grading

Before the Columbia River Highway through Beaver Creek Canyon between Delena and Inglis was opened for traffic in July, 1918, in order to reach Clatskanie from Delena, it was necessary to travel over a narrow, dangerous, earth and corduroy road, either by way of Maygar and Quincy or through the hills about eight miles into Clatskanie. Both of these roads were passable for autos only about three months during the dry season.

The grading of this section was partly completed by the County under supervision of Mr. Bowlby, State Highway Engineer in 1914. This section being a very important link in the Columbia River Highway and no funds being available from County or State funds during 1915 or 1916, S. Benson decided to advance the necessary funds to make this section passable. About four miles of grading was completed between Inglis and Delena, leaving only the building of bridges to open this section. This work was later macadamized by the State.

The engineering work was done by A. K. Grondahl.

A bill was passed by the 1917 Legislature refunding to Mr. Benson $20,978.22 which is a large portion of the amount expended by him.

COST STATEMENT

Clearing and grubbing		$ 1,265.80
Grading—labor and teams		17,124.07
Explosives		2,275.31
Pipe culverts		313.04
	Total	$ 20,978.22

Prescott Hill Section

This section of the highway was built along the steep hillside, several slides having occurred narrowing the roadbed in some places to about eight feet and making it very dangerous, it was necessary to build several retaining walls, half viaducts and guard fences.

This was done by Oscar Lindstrom on a basis of cost plus ten per cent.

A half-viaduct seventy-five feet in length was built containing fifty-three cubic yards of concrete and 4,100 pounds reinforcing steel, with standard bridge railing for guard fence.

Two hundred and fourteen linear feet of rubble masonry walls were built on a slope of three-fourths to one, and standard bridge railing placed on top for guard fence. These walls contain 438 cubic yards of rock.

A reinforced concrete crib forty-one feet long, fifteen feet high and seven feet wide was built and filled with large rock. The members were cast on the dock in Rainier and hauled to the location. A reinforced concrete slab on solid earth foundation was used for footing, on the required angle to give the crib a batter of one-fourth to one.

The total cost of the Prescott Hill improvement was $9,039.86.

Goble Creek Bridge

A ninety-foot reinforced concrete bridge was built over Goble Creek on the Columbia River Highway about one-half mile east of Goble. This bridge has a pile foundation which was put in by the Warren Construction Company on a cost plus basis for $1,583.32. The superstructure was built by Lindstrom and Fiegeson on a unit price basis. The cost of the structure complete was $5,907.14.

The engineering work in connection with this work was handled by H. C. Compton, resident engineer, on the Goble Section, and the inspection of the placement of steel and pouring of concrete was in charge of L. M. Huggins.

COST STATEMENT—GOBLE CREEK BRIDGE

Engineering				$ 77.47
Construction—
	Class A concrete, 135 cu. yds. at $18.40		$ 2,447.20
	Reinforcing steel, 17,925 lbs. at 71⁄2c		1,344.38
	Concrete hand rail, 186 lin. ft. at $1.75		325.50
	Construction of cement shed and unloading cement		129.27
		Pile foundation (force account)	1,583.32
	Total construction cost			5,829.67
	Grand total cost of bridge			$ 5,907.14

Beaver Creek Bridges

For a considerable distance between Rainier and Clatskanie the Columbia River Highway follows Beaver Creek, crossing the creek in many places. To replace a number of temporary wooden structures and to provide bridges at every crossing, the highway department in 1917 and 1918 constructed nine reinforced concrete bridges across this stream. The spans of these structures vary from thirty to 105 feet, there being one thirty-foot, one fifty-foot, two sixty-foot, four seventy-foot and one 105-foot spans in all.

The thirty-foot span structure was built by L. O. Herrold of Salem, on a cost plus ten per cent basis and cost $3,600.00.

The other eight structures were built by L. O. Herrold of Salem, on a unit price basis, the cost of the eight being $32,000.00.

Graham Creek Culvert

A double 6x6 foot reinforced concrete box culvert was built on the Columbia River Highway to provide passage for Graham Creek near Marshland. This culvert was built with State forces. It contains fifty cubic yards of concrete and cost $804.49.

Survey—Columbia City to Scappoose

A survey was made between Scappoose and McBride a distance of eleven and two-tenths miles. This survey follows the S. P. & S. Ry. on the south side the entire distance and is shorter than the present traveled road by about one mile, and also does away with six grade crossings. While most of the roadbed will be entirely new work, it will not be of heavy construction, the country being comparatively flat. Between Scappoose and St. Helens the material is mostly earth. Between St. Helens and McBride the material is mostly rock.

ONE OF NINE REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGES IN THE BEAVER CREEK VALLEY, COLUMBIA COUNTY,
ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER HIGHWAY BETWEEN RAINIER AND CLATSKANIE.
ALL BUILT IN 1917 AND 1918

Two bridges of thirty foot spans or more are needed, also several box culverts and pipe culverts.

The survey from Scappoose to St. Helens was made by P. W. Marx; from St. Helens to McBride by H. C. Compton.