04/10/08 City Council Newsletter

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wheelbarrows due to a rock outcrop which protruded from the trail near the bottom of the butte. In addition, an aging wooden boardwalk that crossed a seasonal stream was in need of replacement. Natural resources staff, looking for sustainable trail designs that reduce long-term maintenance costs, decided to use rock instead of wood. A local stone mason who specializes in traditional Scottish dry stone masonry (stone construction without the use of mortar or cement) has almost completed both projects. The work will improve the aesthetics of the trail and allow for improved trail maintenance access in the future. Furthermore, the stone construction techniques are expected to last for many decades. For more information on the trail improvements, please contact Jesse Cary-Hobbs, Natural Resources Maintenance Program Lead, at 682-4843. Workshop Set April 17 to Look at Westmoreland Park Path Improvements Public Works staff will meet Thursday, April 17, with the community to explore bicycle and pedestrian path improvements in Westmoreland Park. The workshop will be held in the Arts and Technology Academy Library (Westmoreland Park) at the old Jefferson School from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. There will be a brief presentation followed by a walk-about to look at potential locations for the new paths. The proposed path improvements were first identified in the 1974 Eugene Bikeways Master Plan and are also included in the adopted TransPlan. The new paths would be designed to improve safety, reduce out of direction travel, and connect to the existing path in Westmoreland Park. City staff will use the public input to develop path alignment and cost estimates for an application for federal transportation enhancement funding. If the City is successful in receiving the federal funds, construction could begin as early as 2011. For additional information, please contact Lee Shoemaker at 682-5471 or lee.shoemaker@ci.eugene.or.us. Design Process Begins for Willamette River Bridge Replacement ODOT is seeking public input on the style of bridge that should replace the existing Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River between Eugene and Springfield. An online survey with a link provided at www.willamettebridge.org will collect opinions from the community on what style of bridge is desired and appropriate for this location. The survey will be available from April 15 to May 15, 2008. Interested community members are encouraged to participate in the survey. Until now, the project has focused on identifying the environmental impacts associated with replacing the existing bridges. The Environmental Assessment determined that four bridge styles (I-Girder, Box- Girder, Deck Arch, and Through Arch) fit within the project budget. Each style has unique characteristics that would affect the range of potential bridge design details. These elements include, but are not limited to, pier shape, texture, railings, color and potential architectural elements above and below the bridge deck. Community input will be reviewed by the Community Advisory Group, which will help ODOT select the bridge style. Future public meetings and workshops will provide opportunities for the public to visualize options for other details of the design including railings, wall styles, landscaping and concrete patterns and textures. The decommissioned bridge is structurally deficient and cannot be cost-effectively upgraded to accommodate future traffic loads. A temporary bridge was constructed in 2004 to carry traffic until a new permanent replacement bridge could be designed and built. A total of $180 million has been allocated to the project. This cost includes the removal of the existing bridges, replacement of the Canoe Canal bridge, alterations to the interstate and ramps to match up with the new bridge, and a maximum of $70 million for the Willamette River Bridge structure itself. The actual project cost will be determined by the bridge style selected. Funding is provided by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act III and Federal SAFETEA-LU funds. Further project details (including a link to the survey and Environmental Assessment document) are available on the project web site: www.willamettebridge.org. For more information, contact Chris Henry, City of Eugene Transportation Planning Engineer, at 682-8472, Tim Dodson, ODOT Project Liaison, (503) 986-3311; timothy.j.dodson@odot.state.or.us. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 April 11, 2008