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<br /> areas at D and F condition levels as listed in the project by driving through <br /> the neighborhoods. Traffic Engineer Jim Hanks said that the removal of parking <br /> e from 11th and 13th avenues would increase the capacity of those streets but <br /> would also have significant impact on the area residents. He stated that the <br /> widening project was connected to future projects which would not directly link <br /> up with 11th and 13th avenues. He said the viability of West 11th Avenue as an <br /> industrial and commercial area might decrease because the traffic flow would be <br /> lessened'without the proposed widening. Mr. Gleason stressed that the Chambers <br /> Street Connector was a key element in the project; the connector would not work <br /> without the widening project. <br /> Ms. Wooten said it took her approximately four minutes to drive from Blair <br /> Boulevard to High Street during peak traffic and that she did not find the <br /> congestion irritating. In response to her question on the generation of the <br /> traffic projections, Mr. McKinley said that the State had attempted to emulate <br /> the Metropolitan Plan by subtracting some of the downtown employement figures <br /> from the 1990 Plan and then adding the Willow Creek traffic, dwellings, and <br /> employment. Ms. Wooten requested to seek the actual figures generated for the <br /> projections. She agreed with the need for the widening project, but questioned <br /> if the council was committing itself to all three phases of the project. <br /> Mr. Gleason said the entire project was divided into three phases but that the <br /> City would be committing itself only to the Washington-to-High-Street phase. He <br /> said there would be no monetary committment unless a right-of-way agreement was <br /> necessary. He added that the State would not commit money to the project <br /> without the extension project. In response to a question, Mr. Hanks explained <br /> why repaving the two streets was not a viable alternative. He stated that the <br /> repaving project would last approximately 50 years. <br /> e In response to a question, Ms. Decker said the widening project would serve the <br /> entire city and that staff felt the representatives from the Planning Commission, <br /> the Downtown Commission, and the City Council would address the concerns of the <br /> entire city. <br /> Mr. Genasci questioned the description of 6th and 7th avenues as being utilized <br /> for both through traffic and short trips. Mr. Reinhard said the two streets <br /> connected the major arterials in the area, but such use did not mean that <br /> they were not also used for short trips and for access to the downtown by area <br /> residents. Referring to Table 4 in the Environmental Assessment Plan, <br /> Mr. Genasci said the solution appeared to be a local adjustment to the streets <br /> rather than their widening. Mr. Gleason responded that signing and enforcement <br /> would not impact on through traffic, adding that there was no successful alter- <br /> native to dealing with the situation of linking the Coast and McKenzie routes. <br /> He stressed that the widening of 6th and 7th avenues was a minor project and <br /> would stay within the existing right-of-way. He stated that the Metropolitan <br /> Plan called for a 30-percent modal split and he wished the City to strive for <br /> that level, the present split being 12 percent. He stressed that the volumes of <br /> traffic involved must be discussed when dealing with this issue. He recognized <br /> that even slow-moving traffic would maintain the traffic levels, but breakdown <br /> of the intersections would have a tremendous impact on the neighborhoods. <br /> In response to a question, Mr. Hanks said the Oregon standards for construction <br /> would require that businesses along the highway construction have continuous <br /> access except during those periods when it is absolutely necessary; therefore, <br /> e MINUTES--Eugene City Council Dinner Session December 12, 1983 <br /> Page 6 <br />