This summer, Lane County residents might need to think about bringing more than their sunglasses along during their summer commutes. They should pack some patience, too.
That’s because, along with increasing temperatures, there’s an increase coming in the amount of scheduled road construction.
“It’s going to be another busy construction summer — we expect it to be very disruptive to traffic,” said Eric Jones, the city of Eugene’s public works spokesman. “And, with the amount of construction planned, it’s going to be important for drivers to plan ahead.”
As it did a year go, the city will complete 20 major street and bike path repair projects this summer. This year, the projects will cost more than $18 million. A 2008 road repair bond measure approved by city voters raised $35.9 million; that, along with a city gas tax, which provides $3 million a year, will fund the majority of the work scheduled for this season.
Major projects planned in Eugene include the total reconstruction of Hilyard Street between 24th and 34th avenues — a project that’s already begun. Another reconstruction is planned for Coburg Road between Willakenzie and Oakway roads.
State and federal dollars, meanwhile, will help pay for major improvements for cyclists and pedestrians in the city, including repaving and realignment of the South Bank path from the Greenway Bridge to the Ferry Street Bridge.
Jones encourages drivers to plan ahead by preparing alternative routes or anticipating longer commutes. Even though the city works hard to advertise construction projects before they start, “a lot of people don’t think about road construction until it’s too late and they are stuck waiting in traffic,” he said.
Lane County, Springfield and the state Department of Transportation all have their own summer construction projects, too.
In Springfield, projects are fewer in number and aren’t expected to have quite the traffic impact as Eugene’s.
The city plans on sealing more than 5,000 feet of roadway all over town before June 30, and crews will make improvements to Jasper Road that are slated to continue until July 2012.
One of the biggest projects expected to affect drivers will begin this summer on Highway 99 from Roosevelt Boulevard to Garfield Street. The entire structure of road will be reconstructed, concrete medians will be replaced and a stormwater filter will be rebuilt. The construction will cause travel to be restricted to one lane in each direction, both day and night.
Other ongoing state projects will continue into the summer. The number of projects is down slightly from a year ago, said ODOT spokesman Rick Little. Important state projects include continued construction on the Randy Papé Beltline and Willamette River Bridge projects, which are both scheduled to be completed by July.
To keep tabs on when and where all of the projects will happen, Eugene’s Jones encourages drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to visit keepusmoving.org, a website devoted to helping commuters find out about city, county and state road repairs.
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