HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/10/08 City Council Newsletter
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
April 10, 2008
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
Eugene, Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5010
(541) 682-5414 (FAX)
www.eugene-or.gov
IN THIS WEEK’S EDITION
TRAFFIC CHANGES COMING AS STREET WORK CONTINUES IN NEW COURTHOUSE DISTRICT
WILLAMETTE STREET STUDY FOLLOW-UP COMMUNITY MEETING SET FOR APRIL 16
UNPLUG YOURSELF FOR TURNOFF WEEK
POPULAR SPENCER BUTTE PARK TRAIL IMPROVED
WORKSHOP SET APRIL 17 TO LOOK AT WESTMORELAND PARK PATH IMPROVEMENTS
DESIGN PROCESS BEGINS FOR WILLAMETTE RIVER BRIDGE REPLACEMENT
EUROPEAN TRAVEL CHANNEL PROJECT TO HIGHLIGHT EUGENE ART AND CULTURE
AROUND THE CITY
Traffic Changes Coming As Street Work Continues in New Courthouse District
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Major traffic changes to Highway 99W traffic between East 11 Avenue and High Street will occur over
the next several weeks as work continues on the second phase of street improvements in the new
downtown courthouse district.
On Monday, April 14, crews are scheduled to temporarily close the section of Mill Street just past the
northbound onramp to the Ferry Street viaduct. All westbound traffic will be required to detour on
Broadway. Through traffic can use High Street to reach Sixth Avenue. The temporary closure will allow
the contractor to construct the improvements on Mill Street on the west side of the federal courthouse.
Access to the viaduct is expected to be open at all times. Project staff has been working with staff at the
new federal courthouse to mitigate construction and travel impacts as much as possible.
Another big change coming in late April will be the rerouting of westbound traffic along a new section of
Hilyard Street between Broadway and High. The new route parallels the railroad tracks on the north side
of the Wayne Morse Federal Courthouse and connects to Sixth Avenue at High Street. Motorists
traveling over the Ferry Street Bridge will use the Broadway-Mill viaduct route as they have in the past.
People traveling to the downtown area can either remain on Broadway or use the new route to access
the north end of downtown.
The changes are designed to reduce traffic volumes at the intersection of EighthAvenue and Mill Street
to allow a signalized intersection and pedestrian crossing.
During the Olympic Trials, from late June to early July, all streets in the courthouse area will be fully
operational, and no construction delays are anticipated. Once the Olympic Trials are over, the contractor
will resume work, focusing on signalizing the intersection of Eighth Avenue at Mill Street to improve the
connection between downtown and the courthouse district and paving the existing sections of Highway
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99 between East 11 and Sixth avenues. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2008.
The $4 million courthouse area transportation improvement project is a cooperative effort involving the
City of Eugene and the Oregon Department of Transportation, with funding coming from Lane County,
the federal government and the City of Eugene. Wildish Construction Company of Eugene is the general
contractor. For more information, contact Joe Ramirez, Project Manager, at 682-5228, or visit the
project web site at www.eugene-or.gov/pwprojects.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 1
April 11, 2008
Willamette Street Study Follow-up Community Meeting Set for April 16
The Willamette Street Study stakeholder group, City staff and a
local consultant will be holding a follow-up community meeting to
discuss the possible conversion of Willamette Street to two-way
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operation between 18 and 20 Avenues at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday,
April 16, at the Roosevelt Middle School cafeteria (680 East 24th
Avenue). The meeting includes a drop-in time at 6:30 p.m., with the
actual meeting scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
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City staff initiated a discussion about Willamette Street (18 -20)
at the first community meeting in January 2007. Following that first meeting, a stakeholder group was
formed that met a dozen times over the last year and discussed myriad issues with the possible
conversion of traffic flow on Willamette Street. Now is an opportunity for the general community to
review the work of the stakeholder group before they finalize their recommendation and presentation to
the Eugene City Council.
Stakeholder group members, City staff and a local consultant will be on hand to:
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Provide an overview of the past year of study considering the conversion of Willamette Street
(between 18th-20th avenues) to two-way traffic
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Present the stakeholder draft recommendation
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Provide opportunity for questions and comments
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Allow for detailed review of issues related to traffic, businesses, neighborhoods, and accessibility
for pedestrians, cyclists and students
For more information, please contact Chris Henry, Transportation Planning Engineer, at 682-8472,
chris.c.henry@ci.eugene.or.us, or visit the project web site at www.eugene-or.gov/pwprojects (click on
Willamette St. Study).
Unplug Yourself for Turnoff Week
An important message from Eugene Public Library, "Kids: unplug yourself! Turn on your imagination
and turn off your screens for a fun week without TV, movies, or computers, April 21 through April 27." Or
just cut down on screen time each day -- every hour counts. Visit any Eugene Public Library starting
April 14 to pick up Turnoff Week pledge cards and get great ideas for stuff to do and a bookmark, too!
Youth ages 5 - 12 are invited to create posters on the theme “Power Down, Dream Big.” Drop in at the
Downtown Children’s Center, Monday, April 21, through Friday, April 25, anytime between 3:30 – 5:00
p.m. Posters can be entered in the national contest, brought home for display, or posted at the Library.
Turnoff Week is supported by more than 70 national organizations including the American Medical
Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Education Association, and the
President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. For more information, contact Eugene Public
Library, 682-8316.
Popular Spencer Butte Park Trail Improved
Eugene's most popular Ridgeline hiking trail is getting some
major improvements this winter. Natural Resources staff in
the Parks and Open Space Division contracted with a local
stone mason to build a dry stone retaining wall and raised
causeway. The work will enable improved maintenance
access to the butte's trails, thereby improving the quality
and accessibility of the trail system. Unlike the porous
volcanic soils of the Cascades, the majority of Eugene's
ridgeline is comprised of poorly draining clay soils. As a
result, gravel must be placed on trail surfaces to make
them usable during the rainy season.
Natural Resources staff relies on motorized wheel-
barrows to help haul tons of gravel each year to resurface the trails. Though Spencer Butte is Eugene's
most popular ridgeline hiking trail, much of the butte has been inaccessible to motorized
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April 11, 2008
wheelbarrows due to a rock outcrop which protruded from the trail near the bottom of the butte. In
addition, an aging wooden boardwalk that crossed a seasonal stream was in need of replacement.
Natural resources staff, looking for sustainable trail designs that reduce long-term maintenance costs,
decided to use rock instead of wood. A local stone mason who specializes in traditional Scottish dry
stone masonry (stone construction without the use of mortar or cement) has almost completed both
projects. The work will improve the aesthetics of the trail and allow for improved trail maintenance
access in the future. Furthermore, the stone construction techniques are expected to last for many
decades. For more information on the trail improvements, please contact Jesse Cary-Hobbs, Natural
Resources Maintenance Program Lead, at 682-4843.
Workshop Set April 17 to Look at Westmoreland Park Path Improvements
Public Works staff will meet Thursday, April 17, with the community to explore bicycle and pedestrian
path improvements in Westmoreland Park. The workshop will be held in the Arts and Technology
Academy Library (Westmoreland Park) at the old Jefferson School from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. There will be a
brief presentation followed by a walk-about to look at potential locations for the new paths.
The proposed path improvements were first identified in the 1974 Eugene Bikeways Master Plan and are
also included in the adopted TransPlan. The new paths would be designed to improve safety, reduce out
of direction travel, and connect to the existing path in Westmoreland Park.
City staff will use the public input to develop path alignment and cost estimates for an application for
federal transportation enhancement funding. If the City is successful in receiving the federal funds,
construction could begin as early as 2011. For additional information, please contact Lee Shoemaker at
682-5471 or lee.shoemaker@ci.eugene.or.us.
Design Process Begins for Willamette River Bridge Replacement
ODOT is seeking public input on the style of bridge that should
replace the existing Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River
between Eugene and Springfield. An online survey with a link
provided at www.willamettebridge.org will collect opinions from the
community on what style of bridge is desired and appropriate for this
location. The survey will be available from April 15 to May 15, 2008.
Interested community members are encouraged to participate in the survey.
Until now, the project has focused on identifying the environmental impacts associated with replacing the
existing bridges. The Environmental Assessment determined that four bridge styles (I-Girder, Box-
Girder, Deck Arch, and Through Arch) fit within the project budget. Each style has unique characteristics
that would affect the range of potential bridge design details. These elements include, but are not limited
to, pier shape, texture, railings, color and potential architectural elements above and below the bridge
deck. Community input will be reviewed by the Community Advisory Group, which will help ODOT select
the bridge style. Future public meetings and workshops will provide opportunities for the public to
visualize options for other details of the design including railings, wall styles, landscaping and concrete
patterns and textures.
The decommissioned bridge is structurally deficient and cannot be cost-effectively upgraded to
accommodate future traffic loads. A temporary bridge was constructed in 2004 to carry traffic until a new
permanent replacement bridge could be designed and built. A total of $180 million has been allocated to
the project. This cost includes the removal of the existing bridges, replacement of the Canoe Canal
bridge, alterations to the interstate and ramps to match up with the new bridge, and a maximum of $70
million for the Willamette River Bridge structure itself. The actual project cost will be determined by the
bridge style selected. Funding is provided by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act III and Federal
SAFETEA-LU funds.
Further project details (including a link to the survey and Environmental Assessment document) are
available on the project web site: www.willamettebridge.org. For more information, contact Chris Henry,
City of Eugene Transportation Planning Engineer, at 682-8472, Tim Dodson, ODOT Project Liaison,
(503) 986-3311; timothy.j.dodson@odot.state.or.us.
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3
April 11, 2008
European Travel Channel Project to Highlight Eugene Art and Culture
Travel Oregon, the statewide tourism destination marketing organization, has contracted for an exciting
new project called, “Oregon Uncovered.” The core of the project is a 13-episode television series about
the state’s diverse outdoor adventures, events, arts and culture, spectacular scenery, burgeoning
culinary scene, and rich historical attractions. Hult Center staff proactively worked with Travel Oregon
staff in Salem to secure the “Willamette Valley Arts and Culture” episode featuring the Hult Center, the
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) and City of Eugene, at no cost.
The OBF is the perfect high-end visitor attraction to showcase in this important series. In addition, the
Hult Center is cooperating with OBF for its own 3.5 minute feature in the Lane County segment of
“Oregon Uncovered.” With Hult Center support, OBF secured grant funding to pay the participation fee.
The Hult Center’s financial obligation is only to the required match.
Filming will take place during the OBF in July 2008, when the six-person film production crew from the
United Kingdom will shoot the 30-minute Lane County segment.
The European Travel Channel has a viewership of 48 million in prime target markets of Germany, United
Kingdom, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. As you may know, Oregon just
added its second non-stop flight to Europe, increasing access/seat capacity by 100% and the Euro is at
an all-time high, making the U.S. an unprecedented good value as a travel destination. This opportunity
was not to be missed! For information, please call Billie Moser, 682-8380.
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April 11, 2008