HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdmin Order 58-98-17
Administrative Order No. 58-98-17
of the
Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene, Oregon
Stewart Road Closure west of Bailey Hill Road
The Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene finds that:
A. The Eugene Code provides that the City Manager or the manager's designee shall
exercise specific traffic duties by administrative action, including:
~ Implementing ordinances, resolutions, and motions of the Council
and his or her own orders by installing traffic control devices;
~ Designating through streets;
~ Establishing, maintaining, removing or altering all traffic control areas
and traffic control devices including:
· Traffic control signals, signs, and pavement markings,
· Traffic diverters and similar traffic control devices;
· Parking areas and time limitations, including the form of
permissible parking and parking fees; and
~ Closing a street to vehicular or pedestrian traffic; and
~ Providing for and regulating access to and from any street.
and
B. Stewart Road is a two lane, two way road between Bailey Hill Road and Bertelsen
Road. and
C. The land use adjacent to Stewart Road consists of primarily residential property on
the eastern portion and light industrial uses on the western portion; and
D. The eastern portion of Stewart Road has an unimproved, asphalt mat surface with
numerous potholes; and
E. The western portion of Stewart Road has an improved asphaltic concrete surface; and
F. The condition of the eastern portion of Stewart Road has deteriorated to such an
extent that it is desirable to minimize the amount of traffic on that section of Stewart
Road; and
G. Public Works Maintenance is unable to perform an acceptable, cost-effective
preservation of the unimproved portion of the roadway; and
H. Residents on the eastern portion of Stewart Road have made several requests over the
years asking that actions be taken to reduce the amount of traffic on Stewart Road.
NOW, THEREFORE,
Based on the above findings, and pursuant to the authority contained in Eugene Code 5.040,
the Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene orders that:
Stewart Road shall be closed to through traffic at a point approximately 1,500 feet \vest of
the centerline of Bailey Hill Road on October 28, 1998, and
Parking shall be prohibited on both sides of the street within fifty feet of the closure to
provide for a vehicle turn-around area, and
Provisions will be l11ade to provide pedestrian and bicycle access through the barricade.
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Dated this ~ Day of October, 1998
/'
Administrative Order N urn ber 58-98-17
Administrative Order No. 58-98-17
of the
Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene, Oregon
Stewart Road Closure west of Bailey Hill Road
Criteria for Administrative Action
The administrative action of the Traffic Engineer of the City of Eugene, Oregon, closing Stewart
Road to through traffic approximately 1,500 feet west of the centerline of Bailey Hill Road is based
on the following criteria:
(a) Traffic engineering principles and traffic investigations:
. Roadway and intersection capacity: The closure will affect the capacity of four
intersections: Stewart Road & Bertelsen Road, Stewart Road & Bailey Hill Road,
11 th Avenue & Bertelsen Road and 11 th Avenue & Bailey Hill Road.
Based on an April 14, 1998 traffic study, an estimated 540 vehicles use Stewart
Road as a through street on a typical weekday. Stewart Road traffic will decrease
by that amount, resulting in an improvement in capacity at the Stewart Road
intersections at Bertelsen Road and. Bailey Hill Road.
It is expected that the majority of the diverted through traffic will use W 11 th
Avenue. The additional traffic, about about 270 vehicles in each direction, will
have little effect on the capacity of either 11 th Avenue intersection.
. Safety: All potential safety impacts, both positive and negative, are minor.
City records show one accident on Stewart Road in the five year period from
January 1, 1993 through December 31, 1997. The probability of accidents will
decrease with the reduction in traffic volume and a likely reduction in vehicle
speeds.
Negative safety effects are that emergency vehicle response time could be
increased, there is some possibility that a motorist could hit the barricade, and that
the increased traffic through the intersections of Bailey Hill Road and Bertelsen
Road will slightly increase the probability of accidents at those intersections.
Negative safety impacts will be mitigated by the following actions:
~ The closure has been reviewed and approved by the Fire Marshall.
~ The barricade, and all associated signing and marking, will be in
compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Device
(MUTeD).
. Traffic signs, markings and signals: All changes in signing and marking will be in
compliance with MUTCD standards. No traffic signal changes are anticipated as
a result of the closure.
. Intersection Control: There will be no changes to the existing Stop sign controls
on Stewart Road at Bailey Hill Road and Bertelsen Road.
. Roadway lighting: There will be no changes to existing street lighting.
. Access control: While direct access to properties along Stewart Road will not be
changed, the closure will require some motorists to drive out of their way to reach
their destination.
. Speed zoning: The existing statutory Speed 25 in the residential area will not be
changed. The designated Speed 40 zone in the industrial area will be reviewed if
traffic changes indicate a lower speed is appropriate.
(b) Standards, limitations, and rules promulgated by the Oregon Transportation
Commission or the Oregon Public Utility Commission or their successors.
. No applicable standards, limitations, or rules apply.
(c) Other recognized traffic control standards.
. Signing and markings will comply with Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices standards.
(d) The city's adopted transportation-related plans and policies.
. Stewart Road is classified as a collector street because of its proximity to
industrially zoned properties and the connection it provides between Bailey Hill
Road and Bertelsen Road. The closure will prevent this fron1 being used as a
collector street.
. The bicycle element of Transplan, the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area
Transportation Plan, calls for on-street bike lanes on Stewart Road. The closure
decreases the likelihood of on-street bike lanes as it is less likely that the
unimproved section will be paved, and lanes won't be painted on an unimproved
street.
(e) Existing state and local laws regulating use of public ways.
. Provisions of the Oregon Vehicle Code will continue to apply after the changes
have been made.
. City of Eugene Administrative Order 58-96-07 prohibits both through trucks on
Stewart Road and vehicles in excess of eight tons from the unimproved section of
Stewart Road. The closure will not affect these prohibitions.
Admin. Order 58-98-17
(f) The efficient use of the public way by the public.
. The closure will have a negative effect on the use of the public way by the public,
as n1any motorists who now use Stewart will have to drive a longer distance to
reach their destination.
(g) The use of abutting property.
. Residents feel that the closure will have a positive effect on the use of their
abutting property. Although access will be restricted, they feel that the reduced
traffic volun1es will improve the livability of the street and thus have a positive
effect on the use of the abutting property.
Business owners, on the other hand, feel that the closure will have a negative
effect on the use of their abutting property. The same restrictions in traffic flow
that appeal to residents is seen by business owners as a liability that increase costs
and can lead to lost income if customers find a more accessible business.
(h) The intensity of use of the street by vehicles and pedestrians.
. The closure will reduce the intensity of use of the street by vehicles. The use of
the street by pedestrians or bicyclists will not be affected.
(i) The physical condition and characteristics of the street and abutting property.
. Stewart Road is a two-way, two lane street. The eastern portion, approximately
1,450 feet long, is an unimproved, approximately 20 foot wide roadway in very
poor condition. The western portion is some 2,300 feet long. It is a 44 foot wide
roadway that has been improved to city standards and is in good condition.
. The abutting property on the eastern portion consists of residential property on the
south side of the street. There is one house on the north side, with the rest of the
frontage being undeveloped, industrially zoned land. The abutting property on
the western portion consists of light industrial property on the south side of the
street. The north side consists of two contiguous wetland sites, one owned by the
Bureau of Land Management and the other by the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
(j) Emergencies.
. Emergency vehicle services will be affected by the closure. Police and Fire
department personnel have reviewed approved the closure design, which provides
for emergency vehicle access.
Admin. Order 58-98-17
(k) The public health, safety, and welfare.
. The public health, safety and welfare won't be affected by this project.
(1) Special events of community interest including parades and public gatherings.
. Special events won't be affected by this project.
(m) Construction within or adjacent to the street.
. Construction within or adjacent to the street won't be affected. On its surface, the
closure would appear to have adverse impacts on construction within or adjacent
to the street. Access to or egress from construction projects by large vehicles
would seem be more difficult, as these vehicles would be required to turn around
rather than drive from one end of Stewart to the other. However these through
truck movements have previously been prohibited by Administrative Order 58-
96-07 (see Section (e), above).
(n) Establishing conditions upon the use of parking.
. Parking will be prohibited for a distance of 50 feet on both sides of the closure,
on both sides of the street. This will provide room for n1otorists to turn around
and will also increase the visibility of the barricade.
Admin. Order 58-98-17