Several bridges and major road construction projects are underway or will get underway in 2025 in and around Salem.

Here is a look at the projects:

Interstate 5 Donald-Aurora Interchange

A diverging diamond interchange is currently under construction at the Donald-Aurora I-5 Exit 278 on Dec. 18 in Aurora.

Construction is well underway on the Interstate 5 Donald-Aurora interchange project at Ehlen Road. The project is expected to be completed in 2027, but drivers will notice major changes there in 2025.

During the first phase of the project, the northbound on-ramp was lengthened, the intersection with Ehlen Road and Bents Road was moved to the west, Bents Road was realigned to intersect with Ehlen Road to the west, and a signal was added at the intersection with Ehlen Road.

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Construction in 2025 includes constructing new on and off ramps for the southbound lanes and a new northbound on-ramp.

The project also includes building new bridges — for the northbound and southbound lanes —and realigning Ehlen Road on the west side of Interstate 5 and Delores Way with Ehlen on the east of the freeway. Traffic lights also will be added under the bridge.

Cost: $62.5 million

The rendering for the Donald-Aurora Interchange.

McGilchrist Street widening in Salem

The McGilchrist Street widening project in Salem between Pringle Road and 25th Street got underway in 2024 and is expected to take until 2027 to complete.

The first phase, which includes a new intersection at 22nd Street, is nearly done.

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The second phase, widening the street and adding sidewalks from Ford Street to 25th Street, is scheduled to begin in the spring. The City of Salem said the eastbound lanes of McGilchrist will be closed and traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction.

Construction started on the major overhaul of McGilchrist Street in 2024.

The final phase will begin in 2026. It includes:

Widening the street and adding lanes

Adding a center turn lane and turn lanes at the intersection with 25th Street

Improving intersections

Adding sidewalks

Upgrading existing traffic signals

Adding streetlights

Improving stormwater drains

Adding bicycle lanes

Cost: $50.8 million

Newberg-Dundee Bypass

The concept maps of the next two phases of the Newberg-Dundee Bypass.

The second phase of the Newberg-Dundee Bypass project — focused on the intersection of Highway 18 and Highway 219 — is scheduled to start in 2025.

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The project includes:

A new alignment from Highway 18 to Highway 219

Widening Highway 219 to add an additional lane, sidewalk, ramps and drainage

Realigning Wynooski Road to meet with the intersection of Wilsonville Road

Adding exit and entrance ramps onto Highway 219

Adding a bridge for an exit ramp over Highway 219

Construction on the current phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2027.

The initial phase of construction completed in 2018 connected Highway 99W with Highway 219 and diverted traffic south of downtown Newberg with a 4-mile stretch of road.

The remainder of this phase of the project will involve a stretch of road about 2 miles from Highway 219 east to connect with Highway 99W east of Newberg.

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It includes intersection improvements with 99W and to Veritas Lane and Corral Creek Road, pedestrian connections at Chehalem Glenn Golf Course and Chehalem Park, sound walls, and eight bridges to cross Fernwood Road, creeks and local roads.

Cost: $32 million

Roundabout at Highway 99 and Clow Corner

Construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 99W and Clow Corner Road near Rickreall is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

The northern part of a roundabout project in Polk County — adding a turn lane where Highway 99 intersects with Orrs Corner — was completed in 2023.

The intersection with Clow Corner, which links traffic between Dallas and Monmouth, is partially completed and construction is expected to resume in February.

“Utilities weren’t able to move power lines early enough in the year for us to get a full construction season’s worth of work done,” ODOT spokesperson David House said.

The roundabout under construction on Highway 99W and Clow Corner Road is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Much of the roundabout has been constructed to the east of Highway 99 without slowdowns on the highway.

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Cost: $11.3 million

Pudding River Bridge replacement

A Marion County project to replace the bridge over the Pudding River is expected to be completed in the spring.

A skinny timber pile bridge over the Pudding River on Hazelgreen Road is being replaced with a concrete bridge.

Hazelgreen Road between Salem and Silverton is closed during construction though traffic over the bridge will occasionally be one lane with flaggers until completed.

Construction started this year and is expected to be completed in the spring.

Cost: $6.8 million

Santiam River Bridge in Jefferson

Construction on the Santiam River Bridge over the North Santiam River in the west part of Jefferson is expected to be completed in 2025.

The project includes new pavement and striping on the bridge surface. The arch beams over the bridge built in 1933 and the supports under it also are being strengthened.

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Cost: $6.6 million

Little Pudding River Bridge rehabilitation

A major project on the Little Pudding River two-lane bridge between Mt. Angel and Salem is scheduled to be completed in the summer.

Work on the bridge built in 1963 includes replacing the timber decking, new deck joints to protect timber girders, and installing new bridge and guard rails.

The first phase was completed in August 2024 and the second is expected to get underway in March and wrap up in July.

Cost: $5 million.

Interstate 5 cameras, message boards south of Salem

A project to add traffic congestion cameras and message boards on Interstate 5 south of Salem between the Perkins Street overpass at milepost 262 and Hoefer Drive at milepost 240 has started and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

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Cost: $4.1 million

Verda Lane bicycle lanes and sidewalks in Keizer

Sidewalks and bicycle lanes will be added to Verda Lane in Keizer to improve pedestrian safety in the area, which includes Claggett Creek Middle School and Weddle School, an elementary school.

The project includes realigning intersections and upgrading drainage.

The project is expected to be completed in 2025.

Cost: $3.9 million

Mill Creek Road Bridge replacement

The 1930 Mill Creek Road Bridge between Turner and Aumsville is being replaced with a new concrete bridge with guardrails.

A traffic detour will be in place during construction, which is expected to begin in summer 2025 and be completed in the fall. The bridge is being replaced with a new one that includes a guardrail.

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The Oregon Department of Transportation said 70th Avenue may need to be realigned.

Cost: $2.8 million

Market Street and Union Street in Salem

The Market Street and Union Street project in Salem includes replacing overhead guiding signs to the Marion Street Bridge and adding bike lane striping on Commercial Street from D Street to Union Street.

It is expected to start and be completed in 2025.

Cost: $2.3 million

Abiqua Creek Bridge repair

Work on the Abiqua Creek Bridge on Meridian Road near Silverton has been underway since 2023 on the project that will install new guardrails on the approach and strengthen the piers under it.

A detour around Meridian Road will be in place for approximately two months during the spring while the construction is completed.

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Cost: $1.9 million

Connecticut Avenue bike lanes in east Salem

Bicycle lanes will be added on both sides of Connecticut Avenue between Pennsylvania Avenue and Rickey Street in east Salem. Sidewalks and ADA improvements also are being added on the west side of the street and curb ramps are being added on the east.

A concrete refuge also will be built at the north intersection of Macleay Road and Connecticut Avenue.

Construction is projected to start and be completed in the summer of 2025.

Cost: $1.1 million

Little Sinker Creek Bridge replacement

The Little Sinker Creek Bridge on Sinker Creek Road off North Fork Road was significantly damaged by the Beachie Creek Fire in 2020 and is being replaced with an adjacent bridge.

Sinker Creek Road will be passable to the few homes beyond the bridge during construction scheduled to take place in 2025.

Marion County received funding from the state to replace the bridge.

Cost: $505,000

Highway 51, Highway 22 interchange

The cost of the preferred option selected for the Highway 51 and Highway 22 interchange is estimated at $270 million.

The Highway 51 and Highway 22 interchange project, which would add a bridge, access roads and roundabouts, has an estimated cost of $270 million. The Oregon Department of Transportation doesn’t have the money for the work, which would take years to construct.

Polk County Commissioners have proposed an interim project that would eliminate left turns on Highway 22 by rerouting northbound drivers on Highway 51 onto S. Oak Grove Road and allowing them to turn left to the west, where visibility is better.

The proposal also would add tubular markers on Highway 22 to prevent drivers from turning left toward Independence.

Cost: Unknown.

Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehelr@StatesmanJournal.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 15 major road construction projects in the Salem-area in 2025

The bow tie brand has dropped new performance specs for the 1,064 HP ZR1, and they don’t disappoint

Chevrolet has revealed the 2025 Corvette ZR1 can hit 60 mph in as little as 2.3 seconds.

The American hypercar can run the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150 mph.

The ZR1 arrives next year, but the biggest number is pricing and it remains unknown.

The Corvette ZR1 news continues as Chevrolet has revealed additional performance specs including a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time of 2.3 seconds. The company said the feat was achieved with the ZTK Performance Package and went on to note the car ran the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150 mph (241 km/h).

The standard ZR1 is a touch slower as the dash to 60 mph (96 km/h) takes 2.5 seconds, while the quarter mile was completed in 9.7 seconds at 152 mph (245 km/h). The company added “all tests were done with 93 octane pump fuel and were performed on a non-prepped drag strip surface.”

More: 2025 Corvette ZR1 Is A 1,064 HP Hypercar With 215+ MPH Top Speed

To put those numbers into perspective, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and Lamborghini Revuelto both need 2.5 seconds to hit 62 mph (100 km/h). However, it’s worth noting the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon could accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 2.3 seconds and run the quarter mile in 9.65 seconds at 140 mph (225 km/h).

The Challenger SRT Demon 170 dropped those figures to 1.66 seconds and 8.91 seconds at 151.17 mph (243.28 km/h). However, the numbers may not paint a complete picture as there are other factors at play including rollouts.

Regardless, those are impressive figures for a Chevy and Corvette chief engineer Josh Holder said, “The 2025 Corvette ZR1 yet again exceeded our expectations. Combined with a top speed record of 233 mph (375 km/h) – which is unrivaled by any current production car priced under $1 million – the Corvette ZR1 delivers on its mission to provide customers unrelenting power.”

It’s also worth mentioning the car has a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 engine that produces 1,064 hp (793 kW / 1,079 PS) and 828 lb-ft (1,121 Nm) of torque. It’s connected to an upgraded eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which features stronger shafts and improved lubrication.

Summary

Jil McIntosh specializes in new-car reviews, auto technology and antique cars, including the two 1940s vehicles in her garage. She is currently a freelance Writer at Driving.ca since 2016

· Professional writer for more than 35 years, appearing in some of the top publications in Canada and the U.S.

· Specialties include new-vehicle reviews, old cars and automotive history, automotive news, and “How It Works” columns that explain vehicle features and technology

· Member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) since 2003; voting member for AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Awards; juror on the Women’s World Car of the Year Awards

Education

Jil McIntosh graduated from East York Collegiate in Toronto, and then continued her education at the School of Hard Knocks. Her early jobs including driving a taxi in Toronto; and warranty administration in a new-vehicle dealership, where she also held information classes for customers, explaining the inner mechanical workings of vehicles and their features.

Experience

Jil McIntosh is a freelance writer who has been writing for Driving.ca since 2016, but she’s been a professional writer starting when most cars still had carburetors. At the age of eleven, she had a story published in the defunct Toronto Telegram newspaper, for which she was paid $25; given the short length of the story and the dollar’s buying power at the time, that might have been the relatively best-paid piece she’s ever written.

An old-car enthusiast who owns a 1947 Cadillac and 1949 Studebaker truck, she began her writing career crafting stories for antique-car and hot-rod car club magazines. When the Ontario-based newspaper Old Autos started up in 1987, dedicated to the antique-car hobby, she became a columnist starting with its second issue; the newspaper is still around and she still writes for it. Not long after the Toronto Star launched its Wheels section in 1986 – the first Canadian newspaper to include an auto section – she became one of its regular writers. She started out writing feature stories, and then added “new-vehicle reviewer” to her resume in 1999. She stayed with Wheels, in print and later digital as well, until the publication made a cost-cutting decision to shed its freelance writers. She joined Driving.ca the very next day.

In addition to Driving.ca, she writes for industry-focused publications, including Automotive News Canada and Autosphere. Over the years, her automotive work also appeared in such publications as Cars & Parts, Street Rodder, Canadian Hot Rods, AutoTrader, Sharp, Taxi News, Maclean’s, The Chicago Tribune, Forbes Wheels, Canadian Driver, Sympatico Autos, and Reader’s Digest. Her non-automotive work, covering such topics as travel, food and drink, rural living, fountain pen collecting, and celebrity interviews, has appeared in publications including Harrowsmith, Where New Orleans, Pen World, The Book for Men, Rural Delivery, and Gambit.

Major awards won by the author

2016 AJAC Journalist of the Year; Car Care Canada / CAA Safety Journalism award winner in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013, runner-up in 2021; Pirelli Photography Award 2015; Environmental Journalism Award 2019; Technical Writing Award 2020; Vehicle Testing Review award 2020, runner-up in 2022; Feature Story award winner 2020; inducted into the Street Rodding Hall of Fame in 1994.

Contact info

Email: jil@ca.inter.net

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilmcintosh/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JilMcIntosh

Ferrari

Read the Full Story

Like its name suggests, the 2026 Ferrari 296 Speciale is a new special version of the Ferrari 296GTB. The former features myriad improvements, from a lighter curb weight to more downforce and power.

The Ferrari 296 Speciale is a new special edition, and it’s available as a coupe or Spider (seen here).

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The hybrid V-6 powertrain makes a combined 868 horsepower and 557 pound-feet of torque, increases of 49 and 11, respectively.

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A new hood-mounted vent, a revised underbody, and other addenda help provide 959 pounds of downforce.

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The driver faces digital gauges and grips a flat-bottomed steering wheel with myriad controls.

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The topless 296 Speciale has top-notch interior materials, and the open-air configuration also doubles as a hair dryer.

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Every Ferrari is designed with performance in mind, but the Speciale benefits from even more meticulous lightweighting.

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Along with a 205-mph top speed, we expect the 296 Speciale to complete the quarter-mile in about 9.5 seconds at 154 mph.

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Extreme performance potential aside, Ferrari’s product boss says the 296 Speciale is civilized enough for everyday driving.

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Ferrari also provides a seven-year warranty with these supercars.

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Keep going to see more photos of the Ferrari 296 Speciale.

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