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B. WORK SESSION: I-5/Franklin Interchange <br /> <br />The council was joined for the item by Lisa Gardner of the Public Works Transportation Division and Tom <br />Boyatt of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Intergovernmental Relations Manager Jason <br />Heuser was also present for the item. <br /> <br />Ms. Gardner introduced the item, noting that Mr. Boyatt would overview the process to date, summarize the <br />public involvement, and describe ODOT’s assessment of the project status. <br /> <br />Mr. Boyatt introduced Jay Lee and Tim Burchart of ODOT, who were also present for the item, as well as <br />Sam Sessions of CH2M Hill. <br /> <br />Mr. Boyatt reviewed the Community Dialogue undertaken by ODOT to assess the public sentiment <br />regarding the proposed I-5/Franklin Interchange, which included several opportunities for public input. He <br />said that input was not uniform in nature as some offering testimony were opposed, some were in support, <br />and others supported an alternative. Mr. Boyatt said that it did not appear there was an actual transporta- <br />tion problem at this interchange that would be solved by the addition of ramps, and the State system would <br />not appear to benefit. He said that ODOT believed it needed to focus on the need that existed on the State <br />highway; the cost of maintaining that system would be about $500 million annually over 20 years. The <br />Regional Transportation Program included a constrained list of projects that were tied to future projected <br />revenue, and the list was about $400 million short of funding. <br /> <br />Continuing, Mr. Boyatt reiterated that ODOT did not see a State transportation problem and preferred to <br />work on other alternatives to congestion. He said that it appeared there was community interest in pursuing <br />other connections at Franklin Boulevard and I-5, and ODOT wanted to respect that as well. He acknowl- <br />edged there was a federal earmark that would allow the project to go to the next step. He asked that the <br />Eugene-Springfield community recognize that the project was more of a community development project <br />than a State highway project. <br /> <br />Ms. Gardner said the Community Dialogue had been initiated to address safety, access, and circulation <br />issues in the area in question. The study area had included I-5 at Franklin and the Glendwood/I-5 <br />interchange because of the functional interrelationships of those interchanges. The region requested and <br />received $400,000 to continue refinement planning in the area. While ODOT had concluded there may not <br />be a specific State transportation problem, there was community interest in moving forward with the study <br />process to further assess whether there were access, circulation, and safety issues to be addressed. Staff <br />recommended the council move forward with the refinement planning process, which would provide an <br />opportunity to complete the assessment and determine future needs. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mayor Piercy, Ms. Gardner did not think ODOT’s response took away the <br />possibility of ramps but enlarged the scope of what would be examined. Mr. Boyatt said the City had a <br />funding source and the benefit of a year-long Community Dialogue. He believed that construction of such <br />an interchange would be a community decision. He added that the language in the federal earmark was <br />broad enough to allow the community to look at both the Glenwood and Franklin intersections. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mayor Piercy, Mr. Boyatt said that it would be difficult for ODOT to <br />prioritize an investment in ramps above other State system priorities. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy called on the council for comments and questions. <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 15, 2006 Page 6 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />