Item B: I-5 Willamette River Bridge - ODOT Update

Home Browse Search

Representatives from ODOT and the project team have also made a number of presentations and briefings to local community and governmental groups on request. Topics included general information about the project as well as more area specific items of concern such as sound walls and bike-pedestrian pathway connections. The presentations to groups included: ? Harlow Neighbors. ? Laurel Hill Valley Citizens Association. ? Local chapter of the American Institute of Architects. ? Springfield City Council. ? Eugene City Council. ? Lane County Board of Commissioners. ? Metropolitan Policy Committee. ? Eugene Bethel Lions Club. ? Eugene Metro Rotary Club. ? Springfield Rotary. ? Eugene Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. ? Citizen Planning Committee of the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park. Building upon the changing of the tides of positive public opinion, ODOT’s vision for construction outreach is two-pronged. One prong will encompass traditional media outreach/ communications, including seeking out award opportunities to recognize the project. The second prong will create and build on a groundswell of positive support; a grassroots campaign of sorts. Methods to be used include hosting meetings for specific communities, conducting project tours, attending organizations’ regular meetings, and setting up information tables/booths at events to create touch points and a presence in Eugene and Springfield for the project. Thus far, construction outreach activities have included mailings to stakeholder groups that use the trails and river, a high profile groundbreaking ceremony, a Web cast that tells the story of the park with a bridge in it, and updates via Twitter at OregonDOT. Staff will once again be in the Whilamut Natural Area on Sept. 18 and 19 to notify users of upcoming path detour changes. Aesthetic design The CAG and PDT have developed a theme for the design discussion to help guide the work of the bridge design team as well as local artists and architects. "Whilamut Passage" (pronounced “wheel-a-moot”) recognizes the unique setting of the bridge in the Whilamut Natural Area, a place of historic and environmental significance. The setting is also a transportation hub of bicycle, pedestrian, rail, waterway and highway traffic. Design experts continue to work together to ensure that the bridge structure and environment fit together under this theme. In late 2008, ODOT sought the help of local architects, artists, landscape architects, structural engineers and transportation experts to converge around design themes for the bridge. The local chapter of American Institute of Architects took on the project as a public service and for 3