Time to design

BLUE RIVER: People will have a chance to match ideas with engineered outcomes during a community meeting on Saturday, June 24th. The session, organized by Lane County Public Works has been scheduled to discuss possible changes to the ways traffic navigates its way along Blue River Drive.

Up for review are three different designs for two different sections of the roadway. One covers the “downtown” area - from the eastern junction with Hwy. 126 to the Blue River Bridge. The other area covers the area from the bridge, past the community track and school, to the western Hwy. 126 intersection.

In the downtown section provisions for different types of parking, room for cyclists, and the placement of utilities and walkways are included in preliminary drawings. Option 1 is baes on a 60-foot right of way that could allow for 50 head-in parking spaces on one side of the street. Option 2 would place parking on both sides of the road and create 42 parking spaces, as well as sidewalks. Option 3 keeps the same number of spots to park vehicles as Option 2, but creates a wider 12-foot walkway on only one side of the street.

In the western portion of Blue River Drive Option 1 is designed to provide a sidewalk, bike lanes, and a buffered slope next to the lane of travel. Option 2 adds ditches on both the right and left sides of the road. In Option 3, a 2-foot concrete wall and an optional guardrail are included for sections of the road.

Becky Taylor, Lane County’s Senior Transportation Planner, said the Public Works team would “would like to develop a design concept for Blue River Drive that reflects community preferences. Creating a solid vision for Blue River Drive is needed to provide better direction for people redeveloping in the area. A community-supported plan would also help Lane County pursue grant funding for eventually constructing the desired roadway.”

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon in the McKenzie High School’s Old Gym. Prior to the meeting, people can review the different design proposals at: tinyurl.com/ecwsvrhr.