Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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intra, and imer~mgional and some local traffic from t~he busiest and most h~dous section of West 11 ~ Avenue. As documented in the SEIS and summarized on page 1-1, "These improvement~ are needed because of deficiencies in the east~west roadway system, which is failing to support effmiem and safe local, ciWwide, and regional movement of people, goods and serviceS through West Eugene~ West I 1th Avenue from the Oak Hill area and as far east ~ Garfield Street includes numerous features that impede safe and efficient travel, including: Numerous signals and intersections Extensive commercial development with direct access to the facility A complicated comnector between West 11 ~ Avenue and the 6t~ and 7t~ Avenue Couplet by way of G~field Street, including two signals and two 90-degree tums Highly congested conditions, especially during peak traffic hours Presently, existing access linage to the West Eugene ind~trial area is circuitous. Access prOblems ~so apply to li~s between existing and developing residential areas in West Eugene and downtown Eugene." The West Eugene P~kway will replace West 11th Avenue as the western potion of State Highway 126 t~ough EUgene. Adding this new limited-access roadway to the regional roadway system will implement these Metro Plan policies. Environ~nemal Reso~ces Policy 28, page. III-C-10: "Local gove~ents shall protect endangered ~d threatened Plant and w~ldlife species, as recognized on a legally adopted statewide list, after notlce and Opport~ity for public input." Findings in quotations were provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation: "The Approved Design for the West Eugene Parkway was selected in the 1990 Record of Decision (ROD)after completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement. Subsequent to issuance of the FEIS in 1990, new inventory information was developed, and regulatory provisions codified~ regarding wetlands and rare plant species in West Eugene. Specifically, it berne apparem that the Approved Design co~d result in substanti~ impacts to rare wetlands and to "endangered" or ~eatened~' plant species that are concentrated ~ the west end of the project and south of tl:vo raikoad tracks. ~laese new circmstances prompted the need to reevaluate the WEP alignment west of Terry Street to the Highway 126 connection." To ad.ess ~s new informatio~ and other issues related to tr~c operations, a Modified Pr~eCt was developed, ~e Modified Project was evaluated through a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement published in 1997. ~ Mo&fled ProJect was selected as the Preferred Alternative over the Approved Design for the following reasons: TranSP!~ ~d Metro plan ~endments Ex~hib~t C ;: F~d~gs Page 14