West Linn, Oregon City weigh bike-ped bridge proposal

Metropolis officers focus on contextual significance of adopting the long-term undertaking into formal plans

PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) — Oregon Metropolis and West Linn’s elected officers are weighing the professionals and cons of including an Oregon Division of Transportation-proposed bike and pedestrian bridge crossing the Willamette River to their Transportation System Plans, thereby codifying their intent to fund the undertaking sooner or later.

West Linn councilors and Oregon Metropolis commissioners in the end agreed throughout a joint assembly on Thursday, Might 26, that earlier than they’ll resolve, additional solutions might be wanted from ODOT concerning how their endorsement will, if in any respect, impression the eventual building of the bridge. ODOT’s proposal at the moment has no secured funding supply, and in keeping with metropolis officers, seemingly received’t for a few years.

A undertaking advisory staff of a dozen stakeholders working with the 2 cities, Metro, Clackamas County and the Oregon Division of Transportation chosen two attainable alignments for the bridge: one between the falls and the 1922 Arch Bridge with slim sidewalks, and the opposite between the Arch Bridge and Interstate 205’s Abernethy Bridge.

As a result of neither Abernethy nor the Arch Bridge is match for bikers and pedestrians, there’s a vital hole within the bike-pedestrian system of the Willamette south of Portland. The Arch Bridge is 9 miles south of the Sellwood Bridge; the subsequent attainable crossing is 20 miles upriver: the Canby Ferry, which isn’t all the time working. A motorbike-ped crossing between West Linn and Oregon Metropolis would considerably scale back this hole.

ODOT has already recognized potential sources of funding although none have been secured, nor has an general undertaking price range been set, as a result of the undertaking continues to be in its preliminary levels. If the idea is adopted into company transportation plans, the companies will start taking a look at securing funding for an environmental evaluation and allow course of in addition to the design and building section.

Portland Tribune and its mother or father, Pamplin Media Group, are KOIN 6 Information companions.

A number of metropolis officers in the course of the Might 26 assembly raised issues about adopting the bridge proposal into their Transportation System Plans when a variety of different tasks which might be a precedence to residents are usually not within the plans. They fearful that inclusion of the bridge proposal would make the undertaking take precedent over others.

“If we ask our residents in every metropolis if they need a pedestrian bridge, the reply is sure. But when we examine that with the opposite wants that we have now, the reply may not be sure,” mentioned Rocky Smith, Oregon Metropolis commissioner. “I believe placing it within the TSP is a step to have it on our radar, nevertheless it additionally says, to me a minimum of as a citizen, that is one thing that takes precedent over issues that I believe additionally needs to be on our radar that aren’t within the TSP.”

Among the many potential upsides of the bridge, as famous by West Linn Metropolis Council President Rory Bialostosky is that it might supply an alternate mode of transportation within the occasion of future tolls anticipated to be applied on I-205.

Oregon Metropolis Fee President Denyse McGriff raised dialogue of whether or not or not ODOT might proceed with the undertaking by including it to the Regional Transportation Plan, even when cities don’t add it to their plans.

Todd Jones, interim metropolis councilor for West Linn later requested: “Is it vital to ODOT that this bridge is in our transportation plan, and is it problematic for them if it’s not?”

McGriff mentioned that whereas ODOT can’t pressure cities to amend their TSPs, including the undertaking to the division’s regional plan could stay “an choice” for them.

“I believe we’re a minimum of all on the identical web page with regard to: We all know what we don’t know, and we’re not able to do any adoptions, and even recommend we do any adoptions at this time limit,” mentioned McGriff, including that workers for each cities will compile additional questions for ODOT’s evaluation.