Making the list
Three area road construction ventures part of statewide project study
By Larry Meyer
Argus Observer
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 11:40 AM PDT
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| Southwest 18th Avenue (shown above looking west from South Park Boulevard) was one of the projects submitted by Malheur County leaders to be put on the statewide needs list. |
ONTARIO — April 15 was the deadline for submission of prospective road projects in need of funding as part of a study authorized by a state Senate bill.
Malheur County has three projects on that list.
The legislation — SB566 — required the study identify specific highway projects required to reduce traffic congestion, improve freight mobility and enhance safety.
Another requirement is the projects must be capable of starting construction during the next two biennia.
Projects on the top of Malheur County’s list, compiled by area road departments, are Lytle Boulevard, from Enterprise Avenue to the Malheur River Bridge at the edge of Vale in part one; Glenn Street, from the bridge to A Street in Vale, part two; Southwest 18th Avenue, from South Park Boulevard; and Columbia Avenue and Alberta Avenue, north and west of Nyssa, which carries a large volume of truck traffic.
All the routes are considered important for freight traffic, and congestion and safety are concerns on Southwest 18th Avenue and the roads near Nyssa.
“It’s in dire need of at least an overlay,” Ken Freese, outgoing county roadmaster, told the Malheur County Court recently regarding 18th.
The Oregon Transportation Commission, which is conducting the effort, will report its finding to the Joint Interim Committee on Transportation by July 1.
“This is going to the Legislature,” Oregon Department of Transportation South Area Manager Rena Cusma said this study includes state as well at county projects.
“Construction projects must meet the project readiness criteria by the end of fiscal year 2016,” she said. “Development projects must meet the construction readiness criteria in the fiscal year 2017-2022 time frame.” Instead of conducting a separate study, SB566 projects will be incorporated into the annual Statewide Transportation Improvement Program process, which develops four-year plan for construction projects for highways and bridges, which are updated every two years. The Southeast Area Commission on Transportation have been working with the ODOT officials in Region 5 (Eastern Oregon counties) to develop the list of projects for the area.
