55 new walking, biking projects coming to Eugene through road bond

Alan Torres, Eugene Register-Guard
Deion Flemings makes his way up a makeshift path along South Bertelsen near 11th Ave. on Tuesday. The area is scheduled for a new sidewalk.
Deion Flemings makes his way up a makeshift path along South Bertelsen near 11th Ave. on Tuesday. The area is scheduled for a new sidewalk.

Eugene city council voted 7-1 this week to approve a slate of 55 walking and biking improvement projects which will be paid for with $15 million of the $61.2 million voters approved for street improvements in a November 2022 bond measure.

The projects, which the city has collectively named Move EUG, include new lighting and path rehabilitation for the Roosevelt Path, path rehabilitation for the Amazon and Tugman Paths and a new sidewalk for Bertelsen Road.

"I'm really pleased to see that there's investments being made in that transportation system, so that we can connect people from all sides of our city," councilor Lyndsie Leech said. "I think that as people start to see some of these improvements, we'll see a lot of benefits and a lot of morale in our community."

Sidewalks along Roosevelt between Maple St. and Danebo Ave. are scheduled for rehabilitation.
Sidewalks along Roosevelt between Maple St. and Danebo Ave. are scheduled for rehabilitation.

The one vote against the list came from councilor Mike Clark, who voiced concern about almost a quarter of the bond being spent on Move EUG instead of more traditional road repair.

"The reason we started the road bond in the first place, was that deferred maintenance had gotten to a really ugly and difficult place where our road system had deteriorated badly," Clark said. "I'm really concerned with the idea that we have such a high percentage of spending on alternative means of transportation."

Multi-ward projects

  • Street trees around the city, including tree planting and activities that support trees, such as soil preparation and sidewalk and gutter alterations ($2 million)

  • A new sidewalk for Hunsaker Lane from River Road to Lone Oak Way ($400,000)

  • A new bike lane for Polk Street from 2nd to 18th Avenues ($230,000)

  • A new sidewalk for Fairfield Avenue from Royal Avenue to Elmira Road ($229,000)

  • Neighborhood greenways for Grant Street from W 5th to W 15th Avenues ($176,000) According to Eugene senior transportation planner Reed Dunbar, the greenways are "low-speed, low-volume streets that are prioritized for walking and bicycling," with features such as speed humps which are not as high as speed bumps, traffic markings and wayfinding signage.

  • A neighborhood greenway for City View St. from W 11th to W 18th Avenues ($75,000)

  • Speed feedback signs for Royal Ave. around Fairfield Elementary School ($24,000)

  • Speed feedback signs for W 29th Ave. for the corridor from Lincoln Street to Amazon Parkway ($24,000)

Ward 1 (downtown core, Far West, Friendly, Jefferson Westside)

  • A pedestrian hybrid beacon, such as the one on E Broadway between Garfield St. and W Broadway ($455,000)

  • A new sidewalk for W 15th Ave. from Chambers to Grant St. ($112,000)

  • Improvements to the underpasses where the Fern Ridge Path goes under Chambers St and Garfield St. ($15,000 each)

Ward 2 (Amazon, Southeast Eugene, Southwest Hills)

  • Path rehabilitation for the Amazon and Tugman Paths ($600,000)

  • A raised crosswalk for the Amazon Path to cross E 24th Ave. ($300,000)

  • A new pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Willamette and 31st St. ($136,000)

  • A new sidewalk for E 24th Ave. from Willamette St. to Amazon Parkway ($87,000)

  • Speed feedback signs at:

    • E 30th Ave. in the corridor from Hilyard to University Street ($24,000)

    • Fox Hollow Rd. in the corridor from West Amazon Drive to Donald Street ($24,000)

    • W 29th Ave. in the corridor from Lincoln St. to Amazon Parkway ($24,000)

Ward 3 (Fairmount, Laurel Hill Valley, South University, University of Oregon, West University)

  • A new sidewalk for Broadway from Mill to Patterson St ($500,000)

  • Flashing crosswalks where E 15th St. crosses Patterson and Hilyard streets ($240,000)

  • Enhancements to the mixed-use path that runs along Franklin Blvd. from Onyx St. to 959 Franklin, and extending that path to Hilyard St. ($158,000). Dunbar said mixed-use path enhancements can include surface maintenance, lighting, striping and street crossing enhancements.

  • Traffic calming for Spring Blvd. from Fairmount Blvd. to Capital Dr. ($102,000). Dunbar said traffic calming can include speed humps, speed tables, neighborhood traffic circles, and speed feedback signs.

Ward 4 (Harlow, east Cal Young, east northeast Eugene)

  • A protected bike lane for Cal Young Rd. from Willakenzie to Oakway Rd. ($291,000)

  • A new sidewalk for Jeppesen Acres Rd. from Gilham Rd. to Providence St. ($200,000)

  • Improvements to the shared use path along Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. from Leo Harris Parkway to S Garden Way ($200,000)

  • A flashing crosswalk for Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. between Centennial Loop and Leo Harris Parkway ($200,000)

  • Redesigning the island on Coburg Rd.d from the bridge crossing the Willamette River to Oakway Rd. ($150,000)

  • Filling in sidewalk gaps along Matt Dr. ($55,000)

Ward 5 (Goodpasture, west Cal Young, west northeast Eugene, east Santa Clara)

  • Enhancements to the West Bank Path and extending the path from its current end at the intersection of Hunsaker Lane and Taito Street to Madison Middle School. ($428,000)

  • A flashing crosswalk at the intersection of Goodpasture Island Rd., Ridgeway Dr. and Happy Lane ($207,000)

  • Traffic calming for Clinton Dr. from Willagillespie to Crenshaw Rd. ($83,000)

  • Speed feedback signs for Willagillespie Rd. around Willagillespie Community School ($24,000)

Ward 6 (north Bethel, industrial corridor)

  • A new sidewalk for the west side of N Danebo Ave. from Barger D. to Souza St. ($450,000)

  • Rehabilitating the Marshall Path ($400,000)

  • A new accessway connecting Empire Park Dr. and Highway 99 ($154,000)

  • Traffic calming for Candlelight Dr. from Royal Ave. to Avalon St. ($133,000)

  • A flashing crosswalk at the intersection of Royal Ave. and Berntzen Rd. ($120,000)

  • Traffic calming for Berntzen Rd. from Marshall to Royal Ave. ($65,000)

Ward 7 (River Road, west Santa Clara, Trainsong, Whiteaker)

  • Multiple roundabouts for Division Ave. from Lone Oak Way to River Rd. ($310,000)

  • New street lights for River Rd. ($300,000)

  • A flashing crosswalk for the intersection of Elkay Dr. and River Rd. ($200,000)

  • Raised crosswalks on the intersections of E 3rd Ave. and Coburg Rd., and Jackson St. and W 1st Ave. ($125,000 each)

  • A new sidewalk for N Garfield Street, closing a gap around the railroad tracks near 15 N Garfield ($98,000)

  • Filling sidewalk gaps near Polk St. south of W 2nd Ave. ($13,000)

Ward 8 (Churchill, West Eugene, south Bethel)

  • New lighting for Roosevelt Path from N Danebo Ave to Maple St ($750,000) and rehabilitation for that path ($553,000)

  • A new sidewalk for Bertelsen Rd. from 11th to 18th Ave ($552,000)

  • A two-way protected bike lane and raised crosswalk for the part of City View St. that serves as the connection for the Fern Ridge Trail ($320,000)

  • New street lights for N Danebo Ave. ($200,000)

  • New street lights for Bailey Hill Rd. from W 13th to W 18th Ave. ($157,000)

  • Sidewalk fill for Seneca Rd. to fill the gap south of 5th Ave. ($137,000) and one for north of W 7th Place ($44,000)

  • Improvements to the Fern Ridge Path where it crosses under the Beltline Highway and W 11th Ave. ($15,000 each)

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached at atorres@registerguard.com or on twitter @alanfryetorres

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: New walking, biking projects coming Eugene, Oregon

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