Rhododendron Drive Realignment and Improvement Completion Celebration

The City of Florence is excited to announce the reopening of Rhododendron Drive following the successful completion of the Rhododendron Drive Realignment and Improvement Project. A celebration will take place on November 1st at 10:00 AM, featuring remarks from Mayor Ward and members of the City Council.

The project, which focused on enhancing safety and accessibility, included significant realignment and infrastructure improvements to better serve our community. The road will officially open to traffic no later than noon on November 1st.

Event Details:

• Date: Friday, November 1, 2024
• Time: 10:00 AM
• Location: Rhododendron Drive at the Siuslaw River Overlook
• Access: Attendees should enter the construction area via 9th Street from the south. City Public Works employees will be on-site to guide guests through the gate to the designated parking area.

Please note that Rhododendron Drive will remain closed during the presentation but will be accessible to traffic shortly after. K&E Excavating will remove the closure gates when the celebration attendees clear the roadway. We invite all community members to join us in celebrating this important milestone for Florence.

For more information about the project, please visit our website at https://bit.ly/RhodyRealignment. We look forward to seeing you there!

About the Project

The Rhododendron Drive Realignment and Improvement Project is not merely a roadway paving project. It is also for water and wastewater pipe line replacement and the installation of a separated multi-use path. The project shifted the roadway to the east in the area of Marine Manor south to the end of the river overlook pullout area. This was necessary in order to improve vision clearance and provide an enhanced parking area along the river.

One of the key features of the project was addressing the slopes on the east side of Rhododendron Drive south of New Hope Lane. The project utilizes the slope to the benefit of the project by incorporating the multi-use path and elevating it in this section of the project. This now allows pedestrians and bicyclists a view of the river and sand dunes from above motor vehicle level.

The project also installed a pedestrian activated signal to allow pedestrians and bicyclists an opportunity to cross Rhododendron Drive east to west at New Hope Lane so they can easily access the river.

K&E Excavating, Inc. out of Salem, Oregon, was awarded the construction contract and has completed the construction of the Rhododendron Drive Realignment and Improvement Project efficiently. The funding for the project comes from the City of Florence’s funds for streets, wastewater, water, and stormwater and were approved in the 2023-2025 Biennial Budget and 2023-2025 City Work Plan.

Further details on the project and updates that were provided throughout construction can be found at https://bit.ly/RhodyRealignment.