Item B: Willamette Street Study - Laserfiche WebLink

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Street being required to shoulder the burden of car commuter traffic for south Eugene as our population continues to grow. These changes to Willamette Street we believe would cause deterioration of neighborhoods, financial problems for businesses and safety problems for users. We discussed the history of Willamette Street. We reviewed when and why portions of Willamette Street were turned into one-way and why some parts were returned to two-way and what the plans are for other nearby north-south streets. constraints of the study 6. We discussed including questions of the scope of what we could consider, cost of any changes, planning or data gathering. Discussions of the section of ththth Willamette Street from 18 to 20 avenues always tied into the effects on the section from 13 th to 18 avenues, local neighborhoods, and adjacent streets. thth While the scope of our group was Willamette Street from 18 to 20, it was impossible to avoid consideration of broader impacts, limitations, and requirements. In the absence of this broader- range planning for transportation in the south Eugene area, the committee ultimately concluded thth Rather that the two-block stretch of one-way between 18 and 20 is serving a critical role. than an illogical nuisance, these two blocks are acting as a tourniquet to allow the th intersection of Willamette and 18 to keep functioning and avoiding a broader breakdown in the transportation system for cars, pedestrians, bicyclists and other users. The DKS Associates Report The DKS Associates analysis of alternatives shows, "[e]xisting southbound vehicle queues on Willamette Street spillback nearly 1,450 feet from 18th Avenue. These vehicle queues would worsen to greater than 2,500 feet under all three alternatives." alternatives cause the 18th Avenue/Willamette Street intersection to fail "Both [emphasis added by group] with the removal of the second southbound through lane and the additional northbound traffic (for two-way operations)." However, when mitigations (or modifications) to the operations were analyzed, they were found to meet the city’s adopted minimum level of service standard–which the committee finds unacceptable. "Alternatives 2 and 3 also increase the delay for unsignalized minor street approaches of 19th Avenue and 20th Avenue." We understand that these conditions will only happen a small percentage of the time, but we find th the street functions better with its present configuration. The 19 Avenue crossing becomes extremely worrisome when you consider students crossing at this location. Students with athletic practices or other extracurricular activities will cross during evening commutes. thth Automobile, pedestrian, and bicycle cross traffic counts at 15 and 19 Avenues were examined to see if the volume warranted a four-way stop or traffic signal. These counts were significantly below the levels needed to support installation of stop signs or signals. However, we believe that these counts were done on a poor day to judge volumes because it was the University of Oregon’s and Lane Community College’s final test week and the seniors at South Eugene High School were already out of school. However, should either a cross traffic activated light or four- way stop be installed at either intersection, it is likely that even greater problems with traffic backing up on Willamette Street would be experienced. ATTACHMENT A Willamette Street Study Stakeholder Summary and Recommendation 6