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SUTHERLIN — About a dozen people meandered in and out of a Monday night open house held to discuss the future of the Interstate 5 interchange at Highway 138.
The open house was held by Oregon Department of Transportation engineers and outside traffic consultants from David Evans and Associates Inc., and addressed the long-term goals of the Interchange Area Management Plan.
The plan, an extension of the transportation system plan approved by Sutherlin in October 2005, involves studying traffic flow in and around the interchange, and projecting future improvement needs for the next 20 years. By analyzing and assessing the needs to maintain growth and traffic flow now, it could be easier to receive state money for road projects 10 years from now, said ODOT Project Manager Lisa Cortes.
“It’s a new, important planning project ... because interchanges are very expensive and we make the investment in them because we want to make sure they last a long time,” said John Replinger, a transportation engineer and consultant to ODOT.
Although the study is focused on the interchange itself, the larger planning study includes an area from Fort McKay Road to the Hawthorne Street intersection, and from Duke Road to land north of Highway 138.
Even though there are no planned projects on the table, an example of the Interchange Area Management Plan at work is the installment of a traffic signal at the northbound onramp east of I-5, Replinger said. Other problem areas — such as entering and leaving Park Hill Lane, an area that does not meet current standards — can be properly addressed with further study.
“What we will come up with out of this study is a pretty good identification of a project that could be considered in competition with all other projects on state highways for future funding,” Replinger said.
A cause for concern for some business owners is that no design has materialized because plans are in such an early stage.
Dar Yarbrough, owner of the 6-acre West Winds property on Hutchins Street west of I-5, said he was concerned access to his property could be cut off because it is close to Highway 138 and the freeway. He bought his property almost five years ago to develop it, he said, but those development plans could be jeopardized if his access is cut off.
“For myself, I just want to know what they’re going to do there,” Yarbrough said. “If they’re going to take my access, where’s my access going to go?”
One possible solution, suggested by Yarbrough and other business and property owners near him, is to provide a north and south access route to I-5 from Crestview Street near Fort McKay Road.
Dan Huff, Sutherlin’s planning director, said the utilization and eventual implementation of an interchange plan would save time and money a decade from now because it takes into account future growth.
“What we need to have is a target to shoot for so that in the meantime we can help organize with development access locations, street layouts and all those kinds of things,” Huff said.
The next open house to further assess resident comments and concerns will likely be held within two to three months before a draft Interchange Area Management Plan is proposed in the spring of 2007, Cortes said. A final plan is expected to be completed by the summer of 2007.
• You can reach reporter Erik Skoog at 957-4202 or by e-mail at eskoog@newsreview.info.
The open house was held by Oregon Department of Transportation engineers and outside traffic consultants from David Evans and Associates Inc., and addressed the long-term goals of the Interchange Area Management Plan.
The plan, an extension of the transportation system plan approved by Sutherlin in October 2005, involves studying traffic flow in and around the interchange, and projecting future improvement needs for the next 20 years. By analyzing and assessing the needs to maintain growth and traffic flow now, it could be easier to receive state money for road projects 10 years from now, said ODOT Project Manager Lisa Cortes.
“It’s a new, important planning project ... because interchanges are very expensive and we make the investment in them because we want to make sure they last a long time,” said John Replinger, a transportation engineer and consultant to ODOT.
Although the study is focused on the interchange itself, the larger planning study includes an area from Fort McKay Road to the Hawthorne Street intersection, and from Duke Road to land north of Highway 138.
Even though there are no planned projects on the table, an example of the Interchange Area Management Plan at work is the installment of a traffic signal at the northbound onramp east of I-5, Replinger said. Other problem areas — such as entering and leaving Park Hill Lane, an area that does not meet current standards — can be properly addressed with further study.
“What we will come up with out of this study is a pretty good identification of a project that could be considered in competition with all other projects on state highways for future funding,” Replinger said.
A cause for concern for some business owners is that no design has materialized because plans are in such an early stage.
Dar Yarbrough, owner of the 6-acre West Winds property on Hutchins Street west of I-5, said he was concerned access to his property could be cut off because it is close to Highway 138 and the freeway. He bought his property almost five years ago to develop it, he said, but those development plans could be jeopardized if his access is cut off.
“For myself, I just want to know what they’re going to do there,” Yarbrough said. “If they’re going to take my access, where’s my access going to go?”
One possible solution, suggested by Yarbrough and other business and property owners near him, is to provide a north and south access route to I-5 from Crestview Street near Fort McKay Road.
Dan Huff, Sutherlin’s planning director, said the utilization and eventual implementation of an interchange plan would save time and money a decade from now because it takes into account future growth.
“What we need to have is a target to shoot for so that in the meantime we can help organize with development access locations, street layouts and all those kinds of things,” Huff said.
The next open house to further assess resident comments and concerns will likely be held within two to three months before a draft Interchange Area Management Plan is proposed in the spring of 2007, Cortes said. A final plan is expected to be completed by the summer of 2007.
• You can reach reporter Erik Skoog at 957-4202 or by e-mail at eskoog@newsreview.info.
