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US Highway 395 South Corridor Strategy U.S. Highway 395 South (Pendleton - California Border) Region 5 301 2 Island Avenue La Grande, Oregon 97850 Table of Contents U.S. Highway 395 (Pendleton to California) Final Draft Corridor Strategy Page I. Executive Summary Introduction ..........................................1 Corridor Planning Process ..............................3 Corridor Strategy Document ............................ -4 Corridor Description ...................................5 Findings and ConcEuszons ............................... 6 Key Themes and Overall Corridor Strategy .................8 Public Involvement ....................................8 Nextsteps ...........................................10 II . Introduction Purpose of Strategy ...................................11 Overview and Purpose of Corridor Planning ...............12 Planning Requirements ................................13 Corridor Planning Process. Products and Participants ...... 14 Summary of Related Plans and Studies ..................15 III . Corridor Overview Role Corridor Plays in the Region .......................20 General Corridor Description ...........................20 Affected Environment .................................23 Population and Employment ...........................38 Table of Contents U.S. Highway 395 (Pendleton to California) Draft Corridor Strategy (Continued) Corridor Characteristics ...............................40 A . Highway System ................................40 B . Rail Service ....................................61 C. Air Service .....................................63 D . Water .........................................69 E . Public Transportation ...........................67 F . Bicycle Facilities ................................69 G. Pedestrian Facilities ........................... -69 H . Pipeline Facilities ...............................69 Plan Requirements and Issues ..........................69 IV . Corridor Objectives Introduction .........................................85 CorridorStrategy ....................................85 Key Themes ..........................................85 Corridor Objectives ...................................86 Transportation Performance Measures ................ 88 Transportation Impact Objectives ..................... 97 Technical Appendices Appendix A .Glossary Appendix B .Sources Appendix C .Corridor Planning Participants Appendix D .Public Involvement Appendix E .ODF& W Environmental Analysis Appendix F .Economic Development Analysis Appendix G .Highway Performance Monitoring System I. Executive Summary Introduction The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has embarked upon a new multi- modal approach to identify projects for the Oregon State Transportation Improvement Program. This new approach, named Corridor Planning, is intended to implement the goals and policies set forth by the 1992 Oregon Transportation Plan (OTP), the 1991 Highway Plan, and the recent modal plans for rail, freight, bikelpedestrian, aviation and public transportation plus the safety action plan. The OTP, Oregon Highway Plan and modal plans provide statewide transportation goals and pohcies, and identify transportation corridors and facilities of statewide importance. Corridor plans are intended to build upon this multimodal, statewide planning framework by focusing on long-term planning and development of all modes within specific transportation corridors. Transportation corridors are identified as major or high volume routes for moving people, goods and services from one point to another. Since transportation corridors transcend jurisdictional boundaries, corridor planning also builds upon local transportation and land use policies and plans, including the comprehensive plans of Umatilla, Grant, Harney, and Lake Counties and the cities of Pendleton, Pilot Rock, Long Creek, Mt. Vernon, John Day, Canyon City, Seneca, Burns, Hines and Lakeview. ODOT intends to complete corridor plans for 31 transportation corridors throughout Oregon, including U.S. Highway 395 (US 395), which is illustrated in Map 1. Generally, each corridor plan will: translate the policies of the OTP into specific actions; describe the functions of each transportation mode, consider trade offs, and show how they wdl be managed; identify and prioritize improvements for all modes of travel; indicate where improvements should be made; resolve any conficts with local land use ordinances and plans; and establish guidelines for how transportation plans will be implemented. U.S. Highuay 395 end let on to California) 1 otak I. Executive Summary (Continued) Corridor Planning Process The corridor planning process recognizes that unique segments of the US 395 Corridor require differing levels of study to develop a corridor-wide, long-range plan. Thus, corridor planning proceeds from general to specific in a three-phased approach toward project development and construction, as illustrated below. Corridor Planning Process I Develop I I Transportation Planning Systems Planning Phase 3 It------' Projects & Programs I This corridor strategy document is the outcome of the initial Strategy Development phase of Corridor Planning. The Corridor Strategy is intended to set the stage for more detailed analysis of modal trade offs and improvement priorities. The Corridor Strategy evaluates long-term transportation requirements, multimodal issues and recommends general improvement objectives to address corridor-wide requirements. U.S. Highuay 395 (Pendleton to California) 3 otak I. Executive Summary (Continued) The second phase of corridor planning will specifically address the objectives set forth in the Corridor Strategy. During this phase, specific transportation improvements will be identified and prioritized in two types of transportation plans: county general plans and transportation system plans for cities (2,500+ population) and counties (25,000+ population). At the conclusion of Phase 2, implementation decisions reached through transportation system planning or general planning will be combined in a "transportation improvement and management element" for the US 395 corridor. The corridor strategy would then be refined, as needed, to address improvement priorities and implementation decisions. The corridor improvement and management element, together with the corridor strategy, is to be adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) as the Corridor Plan. The third and final phase of corridor planning leads to project development through refinement planning for specific projects to resolve any outstanding environmental, land use and design issues. Corridor Planning will be used by ODOT to guide its stewardship of the selected transportation corridors, incluhng the update of the "four-year" Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Also, the Oregon Transportation Planning Rule (TPR), OAR 660 Division 12, requires jurisdictions to prepare and adopt local or regional transportation plans (Phase 2 of Corridor Planning) and incorporate them into city and county comprehensive plans. Corridor Strategy Document As the first step in the Corridor Planning process, this document describes long-term (20-year) transportation improvement and performance objectives within the US 395 corridor. General planning objectives have been identified for all modes of transportation in the corridor. These objectives, in combination, formulate the Corridor Strategy for US 395. This Draft Corridor Strategy document provides an overview of the US 395 transportation corridor goal, themes and strategy objectives. Relevant statewide planning requirements, multimodal issues and technical and public involvement inputs are included as the means for arriving at the corridor fin&ngs objectives for improving transportation facilities and services over the next 20 years. U.S. Highway 39.5 (Pendleton to California) 4 otak 5?ZU39Gltcro~al.l 079605 I. Executive Summary (Continued) Corridor Description US 395 is a principal highway that extends from southern California at the junction with Interstate 15 (east of Los Angeles), to the canaman border in central British Columbia. The route is one of five north-south highways that pass through Oregon, including U.S. 101, Interstate 5, US 97, US 395 and US 95. Trafgc volumes on US 395 are lower than that recorded for all of the other north-south routes, except US 95. US 395 is classified by ODOT as having a "statewide" level of importance between Washington and Riley, and a "reeonal" level of importance between Riley and California. US 395 between Pendleton and California stretches 351.5 miles from the Interstate 84 intersection in Pendleton to the California border. US 395 provides important interstate, regional and local transportation linkages. There are several small and medium-sized communities within the corridor, ranging from urban Pendleton to the smaller rural development centers, such as Pilot Rock, Ukiah, Long Creek, Mt. Vernon, John Day, Canyon City, Senceca, Burns, Hines, Riley and Lakeview. While the highway extends north from California to Washington, given the unique intraregional distribution of traffic and special multimodal features of that segment, ODOT decided to evaluate that portion of the corridor in a supplemental corridor planning effort. Because of the length of the corridor between Pendleton and California and the remote locations of the communities it serves, the corridor was separated into three sections: north, central and south: The north section of US 395 runs from Pendleton to Dale. The highway
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