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ODOT Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
(Washington and) Oregon Thanks You
Portland, Oregon -- The Interstate 5 Bridge has reopened! The Oregon Department of Transportation and its multi-jurisdictional partners would like to say thank you to the countless businesses and thousands of motorists who were asked to "go another way -- go another time -- or, just don't go."
A BIG thank you sign can be seen on a landscaped wedge of ODOT property located along northbound Interstate 5 at the Jantzen Beach off-ramp (Exit 308).
"Words cannot describe the gratitude we're all feeling at this time," said ODOT Region 1 Manager Don Wagner. "The success of this effort hinged on what the public did. We asked -- and they gave."
It's not exactly a small gesture. The sign, which is actually a companion-piece to the 1988 "Welcome to Oregon" sign situated across the interstate on southbound I-5, is 4 feet high, 28 feet wide and 10 inches deep. And, it weighs 14,000 pounds.
This new "Oregon Thanks You" sign, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, was designed and built by one of ODOT's landscape crews. The sign is made of natural Oregon materials: white marble aggregate letters recessed in a red pumice background. It sits on a landscaped berm made from recycled road sweeping soils.
ODOT employees Dave Don, Dan Goodrich, Matt Swan, Gary Anderson and Mark Buffington constructed the sign for $1,000. The entire landscape crew helped with site preparation and landscaping.
For a short while the sign will reflect the sentiments of ODOT officials and others for supporting the Interstate Bridge project. But, eventually the sign will stand to serve its original purpose of thanking the thousands of people who visit Oregon each year.
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For More Information Contact:
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Don Owings, owingsd@wsdot.wa.gov
360-905-2032 telephone
360-905-2222 facsimile
Washington State Department of Transportation
Katy Tobie, kathleen.a.tobie@state.or.us
503-731-8281 telephone
503-731-8259 facsimile
Oregon Department of Transportation
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1351 Officers Row, Vancouver WA 98661
360-737-6067 telephone
360-696-1847 facsimile
e-mail: info@rtc.wa.gov
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