Category: Infrastructure

Amazon Path Closure

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Via the Register Guard:

Wall collapse forces temporary closure of Amazon path
Published: Monday, Nov 26, 2012 12:54PM

A 28-foot-long section of concrete wall along Amazon Creek, just north of 24th Avenue, has collapsed into the creek, forcing city officials to close a section of the Amazon shared-use path today and Tuesday in order to make repairs.

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The path is being closed during daytime hours between 19th and 24th avenues. The 50-year-old wall section collapsed Saturday after several days of heavy rain, officials said.

There are no public safety issues associated with the collapse, officials said.

The city has hired a private firm to make repairs. City engineers are now trying to learn whether the remaining concrete wall is structurally stable, officials said.

24th Avenue Appeal Dismissed

Posted on by RideCoordinator

The appeal to the administrative order that removed parking and bump-outs along 24th Avenue to allow installation of bike lanes from Chambers to Friendly has been thrown out!  The decision was made yesterday and announced today. The project will continue with: removal of the existing “bulb-outs”, adding bike lanes on both sides of 24th (4-5 ft on 1 side and 5-6 on the other), consolidating parking to one side, removing the painted center line, adding one new marked crosswalk (at Fillmore), and adding a school zone near ATA/Family School. You can read a bit of history of the project here.

The hearings official states that while the main issues from the appellants were related to the community outreach and citizen involvement, the Eugene City Code states that removing parking comes down to the City Traffic Engineer having to consider certain factors in that removal. Once the Traffic Engineer demonstrated that those factors were considered the Administrative Order is able to stand.

This is great news for people who use (or want to use) 24th as their East-West corridor. Many neighbors and community members came out to speak up for these needed changes. This project is underway now and we should be able to enjoy the finished product during this summer! To those who worked hard to help foster this project along, thank you very much. As we continue to work with city staff, neighborhood groups, and community leaders to make improvements for cycling in Eugene we continue to learn the best way to make projects happen that benefit everyone. We certainly learned a lot on this project and hopefully we can take that knowledge forward and create even more positive change.

 

National Call-in Day for Transportation Bill

Posted on by RideCoordinator
Today is the national call-in day on the transportation bill. The window is closing fast on our last real chance to impact the final bill. Whether or not the bill prioritizes repair of our roads and bridges, preserves local communities’ access to funds that can make walking and biking safer, or helps struggling transit agencies keep buses and trains rolling along OR if it focuses on building more roads for sprawl. We need your help now.

Attached is a script with the three priorities to choose from to push on in the calls.

Transportation for America also has a page where you can get more info and look up your legislator if needed (likely DeFazio, Wyden, & Merkeley if you’re on this list).

Please call now. Thanks!


Rep. Peter DeFazio, Phone:(202) 225-6416
Sen. Ron Wyden, Phone:(202) 224-5244
Sen. Jeff Merkley, Phone:(202) 224-3753

Script:

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I live in [PLACE]. I’m calling to ask Representative/Senator [NAME] to support several important provisions from the Senate’s bipartisan transportation bill during conference committee. The conference committee on the transportation bill must do at least three things:
  1. Preserve the Senate provisions that provide dedicated funding for repairing our roads and bridges — and hold states accountable for repairing them.
  2. Protect my community’s access to funds in the Senate bill that make walking and biking safer by preserving the local grant program created by the Cardin-Cochran amendment,
  3. And keep the flexibility for public transportation “operations” in the Senate bill that allows struggling transit agencies of all sizes to maintain service during a fiscal crisis.
Please support the provisions in the strong, bipartisan Senate transportation bill during the conference. Thank you for your time.

UO Bike Program To Install Five Self-service Bike Repair Stations

Posted on by RideCoordinator

It’s been so great to see the energy grow on the UO campus with both the LiveMove student group and the UO Bike Program continually pushing for positive changes to the campus area for cyclists. The latest news from the Bike Program involves some assistance from GEARs Education to help them purchase five self-service bike repair stations and to create educational material for the campus area. We look forward to continuing to work with these student groups to grow cycling in our community at large!

—–News Release—-

The University of Oregon Bike Program is leading a project to install a network of five self-service bike repair stations around the UO campus, to support and encourage bicycle transportation for our campus community.  The Bike Program has received $7,000 in support from the UO Sustainability Center’s Student Sustainability Fund, and $750 from the Greater Eugene Area Riders to pay for four stands and educational materials.  A fifth stand will be paid for with funds left over from a grant for another project from the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, which came in under budget.

The stands, which will be installed in central, high-visibility locations on campus, will provide bicycle users with air, tools, and a stable spot to hoist their bike for maintenance.  Each station will include an info panel with bike repair and safety information, as well as directions to our campus DIY repair shop in the Outdoor Program Barn.  Web resources will include new how-to-fix-your-bike videos produced by the UO Bike Program in partnership with Erb Memorial Union Marketing and the Oregon Daily Emerald.

“It will be great to see these repair stands around campus as reminders of the university’s commitment to sustainability and active transportation.  We all see reminders of our societal commitment to cars every day.  I think this project sends a strong message about our priorities as a community,” said Ted Sweeney, the student coordinator of the UO Bike Program. “People need to be able to trust their bicycles to get them where they need to go every day, and knowing that tools and air are always nearby might give some the confidence they need to start commuting by bike.”

The Bike Program is working with staff in the Department of Campus Planning and Real Estate to approve the final siting for the FixIt stands, and hopes to install the network by the end of spring quarter 2012.


More about the UO Bike Program: The University of Oregon Bike Program, a branch of the UO Outdoor Program, works to connect students with bicycles. Since 2008, the student-run program has offered low-cost bicycle loans, a free do-it-yourself bike maintenance shop, and related classes and events for the UO Community.

For more information, please contact Ted Sweeney, UO Bike Program Coordinator. bikes@uoregon.edu, (503) 737-4419

 

W 24th Avenue Street Rehabilitation Project Open House II

Posted on by RideCoordinator

A final neighborhood open house has been scheduled for Thursday, January 5th to discuss the street rehabilitation project for 24th Avenue (from Chambers St to Jefferson St).

There will be a presentation and discussion on design alternatives for this street.  Alternatives discussed will include removing on-street parking on one side of the street, installing bicycle facilities, and changing the nature of existing traffic calming devices.

The Ped/Bike Master Plan calls for bike lanes on this section of 24th and it is the best East-West corridor for cyclists in the area. Come give your input on the importance of completing our active transportation network with safe and comfortable facilities for cyclists.

Agenda:

  • Presentation of alternative street configurations
  • Questions and answers
  • Discuss project timeline

Location:      Adams Elementary School (Cafeteria/Multipurpose Room), 950 West 22nd Avenue, Eugene, OR 97405

Date:                 Thursday, January 5th

Time:                7:00 to 8:30 pm

Questions? Please contact Reed Dunbar at reed.c.dunbar@ci.eugene.or.us or (541) 682-5727

West Bank Multi-Use Path Extension Open

Posted on by RideCoordinator

Work has been completed on a $1.6 million extension of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path
in the River Road-Santa Clara area, and the multi-use path extension is open for public use.

Knife River Corporation, working under contract to the Eugene Public Works Department,
began work early this year to extend the path from River Avenue, under the Randy Pape’ Beltline,
along Division Avenue to Beaver Street. The primary source of funding for the project was a federal
transportation enhancement grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation.

The project extends the existing West Bank trail to connect the River Road and Santa Clara
neighborhoods. Previously, bicyclists and pedestrians wishing to cross the Beltline corridor had to
use River Road, a busy arterial street with five lanes of traffic moving approximately 32,000 vehicles
a day. The extended trail provides a safer option that reduces the number of vehicle conflicts with
pedestrian and bicycle movements. The project also provides a connection from Eugene’s Bascom
Riverbank Trail System to the street system north of Beltline.

The new 12-foot-wide, concrete path is about 3,200 feet long and includes pedestrian-scale
lighting, a retaining wall next to the Willamette River under Beltline, and an undercrossing at the
main truck entrance to the Delta Sand & Gravel yard on Division Avenue.

The extension to the West Bank Path segment brings the total length of the Riverbank Path
system to approximately 14.5 miles: 2.7 miles on the West Bank Path, 4 miles on the South Bank
Path, 2.8 miles on the East Bank Path, and 5 miles on the North Bank Path. The path system is
named for former Mayor Ruth Bascom, who was an avid cyclist and a strong advocate for bicycling
facilities in Eugene.

Also this summer, the segment of the South Bank Path was reconstructed from Greenway
Bridge to the RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground in Skinner Butte Park using voter-approved
bond measure funds.

As Lee Shoemaker, the cities Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator states:

“We realize it ends just short of the neighborhood to the west of Beaver Street.  Lane County had a project in their capital improvement program to upgrade Beaver and Hunsaker to urban standards and add bike lanes and sidewalks.  The project was removed from their CIP due to funding constraints.  The project is included in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan.”

This is an exciting extension that when connected with a new Beaver/Hunsaker will really improve connectivity and safe/comfortable cycling in that region of town.