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Yamhill County Public Works outlines summer road, bridge schedule; RIAC highlights culvert inventory and student partnerships
Summary
Public Works described summer paving, chip-seal and bridge repairs, including replacing wooden beams with steel and preparing for 2025 overlay projects; the Road Improvement Advisory Committee reported completion of an 8,200-culvert inventory and ongoing partnerships with George Fox University and Marion County.
Yamhill County Public Works on June 5 told the county Board of Commissioners it will focus this summer on preparing roads for a 2025 overlay and chip-seal program, doing targeted bridge repairs and continuing a vegetation and culvert maintenance program.
The update came during the board's formal session as Public Works staff reviewed plans for hauling chip rock, prepping roads for chip seal and overlay projects, replacing deteriorated bridge components and coordinating inspections. Ryan Webb, chair of the county's Road Improvement Advisory Committee (RIAC), gave the committee's annual report alongside Public Works staff.
Why it matters: The projects affect county travel and long-term infrastructure costs. Replacing wood bridge elements with steel is intended to extend service life; completing culvert inventories and partnering with regional organizations aim to improve preventative maintenance and planning.
Public Works described this summer's schedule and contractors. The department said it will finish hauling chip rock to staging areas for the county's 2025 chip-seal work, complete ditch and culvert cleaning and trim vegetation before surface work begins, and begin the county's 2025 overlay project in July with Roy Holt Construction as the paving contractor. Sierra Santa Fe was named as the contractor for the August chip-seal program; the company has worked on county projects for several years.
Mark Lago, speaking for Public Works, said the county plans to lift Hendricks Bridge outside Carlton this month to replace a rotten wood beam with a steel beam once river levels allow cribbing and jacking operations. He said the department will replace five wooden beams on North Hill Road and one head wall with steel sheet pile in September, and that the county will start annual bridge inspections of National Bridge Inventory (NBI) bridges and smaller county bridges that month. The county reported it has about 90 bridges subject to state inspection standards (20 feet and wider) and 44 smaller bridges that require local inspection.
Webb, RIAC chair and engineering and planning manager for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, highlighted accomplishments the committee tracks and partnerships with higher-education programs. "They inventoried all 8,200 culverts, completed that work last year," Webb said, noting the inventory improves stormwater and road-management planning. He also described ongoing collaboration with George Fox University on senior engineering capstone projects and an annual internship relationship that provides preliminary designs, cost estimates and additional staff capacity for the county.
Public Works also told commissioners the county is coordinating with Marion County to evaluate capital-improvement roads and that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is designing two federally funded timber-bridge replacement projects (Old Revo Grade and Patty Lane) with design scheduled for completion in fall 2026, bidding in winter 2026 and construction projected to begin in 2027.
Commissioners asked about community notification and timelines for Grand Island-area bridge work; Public Works said a local contact is communicating with residents and that timing depends on river levels.
The presentation also covered routine summer maintenance: keeping multiple mowers operating until fire danger rises, spraying herbicide for vegetation management in rights-of-way, upsizing and repairing culverts while flows are low, and postponing most grading until fall because of dry conditions and fire risk.
The county and RIAC emphasized the value of cross‑sector expertise on the advisory committee and the practical benefits of student design projects and shared staffing with the Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District for roadside vegetation management.
Looking ahead, Public Works will move forward with the 2025 overlay and chip-seal schedule, bridge beam replacements, and September bridge inspections; the department identified coordination with contractors and river-level conditions as factors that will affect timing.
Ending: Commissioners did not take a formal vote on the Public Works update; the briefing concluded when the RIAC chair closed his presentation and commissioners moved on to other agenda items.
