Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EUGENE FAPJO~AY MODIFIED PROJECT--CONSISTENCY NTH THE STATEW~ PlANNiNG GOALS AND TRANSPORTAT]i~ pLANN!~ ~lJLE For numerous reasons Royal Avenue cannot reasonably accommodate the identified need fbr a facility handling prim~ily statewide and regional through traffic. The surrounding residemial character of the are~ and accesses typical of residential streets, makes it a very poor location for major widening~ Because of its location primarily in residential areas, it is not suited to a~ommodate traffic at speeds and volumes more appropriate to serve statewide and regional travel needs. Because many accesses would be taken improvement costs would be very expensive. A widened ~hciliW within a predominantly residential area also would significantly disrupt the neighborhood and cause the loss of community cohesion. Widening Royal Avenue to accommodate increased travel also would increase in out-of-direction travel by an average of two miles per trip. F~nally, Royal Avenue does not provide a connection through the City of Eugene, as is needed to meet regional travel needs~ BeItline Highw~ connects West 1 lth Avenue to Interstate 5. From south of the Barger Avenue interchange to Gateway Street just east of I~5, Beldine Highway is a Pally access~controlled facility serving the northern p~ of the metropolitan region. South of the Barger Avenue interchange to West 1 Ith Avenue, Beltline Highway is a two-lane facility wkhout controlled access. Upon completion of the final two phases ofthe West 1 lth Avenue-North City Limits project, Beltline Highway will become a 4-lane controlled access facility all the way to West 1 lth Avenue. The 2015 level of service and volume to capaci~ estimates in West Eugene under ~e No-Build alternative assume the completion of Beltline Highway. Consequently, even with this facility, need for significant additional transportation improvements remain. Widening Bekline Highway would not serve the identified need, as the need is to ~mprove east-west travel rather than access to West Eugene from ~e north~ For many people traveling to West Eugene, travel via Beltl~ne Highway would be out of direction and defeat state efforts to reduce per capita VMT. V/est t8th Avenue is a minor arterial located approximately 0.6 mile south of West 11 th Avenue. West 18th Avenue extends eastward from Willow Creek Road past Garfield Street to Agate Street near the Universky of Oregon. From WillOw Creek Road to Bertelsen Road, the roadway is being reconstructed to urban standards, Between Bertelsen Road and Bailey Hill Road, West I Sth Avenue is a two-lane ~tcility with bike lanes and parking on both street sides and a posted speed timk of 40 m~les per hour~ From Bailey Hill Road to Garfield Street, West 18th Avenue is a three-lane section with bike lanes but no parking and a posted spe~ limit of 30 m~les per hour. The area from Bertelsen Road to Garfield Street c~ntains residences, financial uses, churches and five schools. The vertical and horizontal alignments may be designed for running speeds less than the posted speed~ West 18th Avenue cannot reasonably ac~mmodate the identified transportation need for many of the same reasons Royal Avenue cannot reasonably accommodate the need. Numbers generated by the Trams?Jan Update ~ndicate that even existing volumes on West 18th Avenue prevent consideration of this route ~ a serious akemative to the WEP. Moreover, the residential character of the surrounding area makes the roadway a very poor candidate for widening. This residential character, plus the location of five schools along West 18th Avenue, support travel at speeds substantially slower than what is appropriate for a state highway included in the National H~ghway System. Placing much higher pementages of through traffic along this roadway would increase pedestrian/vehicle conflicts and thus create safety hazards. Fu~er, using West 18th Avenue as an alternative route would require an'average out-or-direction travel distance of approximately 1.2 miles, which is inconsistent with the policy objectives in the Transportation Planning Rule. Conclusion with Respect to Alternatives As the above-described analysis demonstrates, alternatives to the West Eugene Parkway have been carefully studie& For alt of the reasons stated above, alternative modes, traffic management measures, TDM and improvements to existing transportation facilities, even in combination, cannot reasonably accommodate the idem[fled need for the WEP with its Modified Project alignment. EXhiBiT C-1 - F~ND{NGS 33