November 4, 2019 9:00 a.m.
Interstate 5 motorists can expect delays of about ten to twenty minutes Monday night due to blasting work on Roberts Mountain, about eight miles south of Roseburg.
Dan Latham of the Oregon Department of Transportation said rolling slowdowns will be used in each direction of the freeway to create a gap in traffic during the blasting work. Latham said the blasting and slowdowns are scheduled to happen between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.
In the southbound direction, pilot cars will lead freeway traffic on a low-speed approach from the Winchester area to Roberts Mountain. That’s a nine-mile stretch of the road. Flaggers will hold traffic at each southbound on-ramp from Edenbower Boulevard to the Winston Interchange.
Northbound rolling slowdowns will begin at milepost 103 in Tri City with flaggers holding on-ramp traffic at every interchange from Myrtle Creek/Weaver Road to Clarks Branch Road.
Latham said roadside blasting typically produces noises and clouds of dust, but little flying debris. The nearby travel lanes are cleared as a safety precaution.