| Big splash in a small pond |
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| ODOT project brings economic opportunity to a small town in eastern Oregon |
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Like a pebble creating ripples when dropped into a calm pond, ODOT’s work stimulates the economies of Oregon’s towns. When the agency repairs and replaces bridges across the state on the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, construction is often a starting point for an economic boom.
With one bridge replaced and another to go on Bundle A51, U.S. 26: Rush Creek – Antone, ODOT is having a huge positive effect on a small eastern Oregon community.
“A million-dollar project has a big impact on a small town,” said Peter Murphy, Region 4’s public affairs representative. “The money and work from ODOT ripples through the surrounding communities.”
This is especially apparent in the close-knit town of Mitchell, located near Bundle A51.
“The crew came in here for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said Dajuana Dodd, who owns the Little Pine Café with her husband. “It really boosted our sales. We also got to know everyone by their first names, and we really enjoyed having them here.”
Mitchell’s local motel and RV park also profited from the bridge construction. While working almost non-stop on the project from August to September, the 30 to 50 crew members stayed in town.
Other businesses prospered, too.
“Our downtown businesses did very well,” said Nancy Fitzgerald, Mitchell’s mayor. “They’re looking forward to the construction of the next bridge.”
Mitchell business owners weren’t the only ones experiencing a spike in their income. Some of the townspeople were hired to work on the construction teams or as flaggers.
“One of the people hired to work on the flagging crew is actually a shop owner in town,” said Benny Cox, District 9 project inspector. “The people of Mitchell are a great group, and it was wonderful that some of them were able to work on this project.”
The new bridge also allows farmers, ranchers and loggers—whose livelihood depends on getting their products to metro hubs such as Portland and Salem—to haul more freight and conduct more business.
ODOT also took the bridge construction as an opportunity to lay some much-needed pavement as part of a preservation project. When the contractor managed to secure a closer, more cost-effective source for asphalt mix, the crew put down an additional two miles of pavement that was not in the original budget.
“These bridges are the community’s geographical link to the outside world,” Murphy said. “We’re working hard to ensure that the needs of small towns are just as important to the agency as those of the large cities.”
The town of Mitchell is a solid example of the economic stimulus that ODOT projects can bring to an area. As the agency enters another busy construction season, we can look forward to the ripple of benefit growing even larger and spreading throughout Oregon.
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