11/20/1985 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

c~ \ ,,- e Two people testified in the public hearings that the State should construct the Roosevelt Freeway or extend 1-105 west as a better way of serving the traffi c i n we s t Eugene than the 6th/7th Extension. The commission discussed this possibility. Jim Gix, the Region Engineer from OOOT stated that an alignment north of the tracks was outside the corridor study area and that the DEIS would have to be redone. This scenario would inhibit Eugene's opportunity next spring to propose that the Oregon Transportation Commission place the project in the State's Six Year Highway Improvement Program. The commission voted not to consider an alignment north of the railroad tracks. 2. The alignment should be shifted north to run adjacent to the south side of the railroad tracks, between Terry Street and Greenhill Road; provided that the State has no objection from an engineering standpoint and that the project cost is not materially affected. Representatives of major landholders in the Terry Street to Greenhill Road vicinity testified that Alternative 1 as proposed would separate several parcels unnecessarily and decrease their util ity and attractiveness. They recommended movi ng the alignment closer to the tracks in order to allow for a more logical development pattern. The commission suggested that the property owners in the western portion work together to propose an alignment that would solve their concerns. The . State indicated that such a shift would be possible within the context of the DEIS process. 3. The State should investigate an elevated roadway at the eastern end of the project. Businesses on the eastern end of the project had i ndi cated probable circulation difficulties in the McKinley, Wilson, Conger area as Alternative 1 would particularly disrupt the north-south flow of traffic. They suggested elevating the roadway to preserve the north- south flow and that an elevated structure would allow businesses which abutted the overpass to still use the area below for on-site storage or circulation. The State indicated that elevating the structure could add significantly to the cost of the project, but agreed that they could take a look at it. 4. . Mitigation of impacts on wetlands should focus on enhancement of the significant wetlands in the area between Bertelsen and Bailey Hill Roads, specifically Bertelsen Slough, Stewart Pond, and the wetlands east of Wallis Street which feed into Bertelsen Slough.. Consideration should be given to use of project funds to purchase all or parts of these wetlands for public ownership and protection, to purchase the area between Alternative One and Bertelsen Slough for use as a buffer strip between the highway and the Slough, and/or other protective measures as may be appropriate. As the 6th/7th Extension proj ect wi 11 impact wetlands, the State is - required to deve lop and implement a plan to mitigate those impacts. 2