Interim Corridor Strategy Highway 126 East
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Interim Corridor Strategy Highway 126 East Interstate 5 to Oregon High way 22 at Santiam Junction May 1998 Oregon Department of Transportation c ,%i?Ete street 7r Sialern, Oregon 973 10 Interim Corridor Strategy Highway 126 East Interstate 5 to Oregon Highway 22 at Santiam Junction Prepared far: Oregon Department of Transportation 7 E:Eite street Salem, Oregon 973 10 (54 1) 726-2509 Prepared by: wgog Lane Council of Governments 125 East Eighth Avenue Eugene, Oregon 9740 1 (54 1) 682-4283 May 1998 Table of Contents Executive Summary What is Corridor Planning and Why is it Being Done? Corridor Overview Major Issues Interim Corridor Strategy Next Steps Chapter 1: Overview of Corridor Planning lntroduction Corridor Planning Description and Purpose Corridor Planning Requirements Corridor Planning Process Corridor Planning Participants Chapter 2: Highway 126 East Corridor Overview lntroduction General Corridor Description Existing Plans and Studies Population and Employment Growth Tourism and Recreation-Related Travel Land Development Projections Chapter 3: Existing Conditions and Facilities lntroduction Highway System Railroads Air Service Public Transit and Inter-City Bus Service Bicycle Facilities Pedestrian Walkways Pipelines Environment Chapter 4: Future Conditions lntroduction Overview of Major Factors Impacting the Future of the Corridor Corridor Analysis Methodology Railroads Air Service Public Transit and Inter-City Bus Service Bicycle Facilities Pedestrian Walkways Highway 126 East Interim Corridor Strategy, May 1998 Chapter 5: Issues, Opportunities, and Constraints lntroduction Transportation Balance Regional Connectivity Highway Congestion Safety Economic lmpacts Social and Land Use lmpacts Environmental and Energy lmpacts Values Chapter 6: Interim Corridor Strategy lntroduction Vision for the Highway 126 East Corridor Goals and Objectives Transportation Balance Regional Connectivity Highway Congestion Safety Economic Social and- and Use Environmental lmpacts Energy lmpacts Highway 126 East Interim Corridor Strategy, May 1998 List of Figures Figure ES-1 Highway 126 East Corridor Map Figure 1-1 Corridors of Interstate and State-Wide Importance Figure 1-2 Corridor Planning Process and Phases Figure 2-1 Highway 126 East Corridor Segment Map Figure 3-1 Historic Traffic Volumes, 1975-1995 Figure 3-2 Average Daily Traffic Variations by Month, 1995 Figure 3-3 Average Daily Traffic by Vehicle Type, 1975-1995 Figure 3-4 Accidents per Million Vehicle Miles Traveled, 1994-1996 Figure 3-5 SPlS 1997 Accident Locations Figure 3-6 Federal and State River Designations Figure 4-1 Projected Traffic Volumes, 1995-2017 Figure 4-2 Current and Projected Highway Congestion List of Tables Table 2-1 County Population Forecasts Table 2-2 Population Trends and Projections Table 2-3 County Non-Agricultural Employment Forecasts Table 2-4 ~u~ene-springfieldBuildable Lands and Land Development Projections Table 2-5 Potential Additional Dwellings in the Corridor's Rural Communities Table 2-6 Buildable Residential Lands Inventory in the Rural Portion of the Corridor Table 3-1 Historic Traffic Volumes, 1975-1995 Table 3-2 Truck Traffic Volumes, 1992 Table 3-3 Reported Accidents, 1994-1996 Table 3-4 Eugene Airport Intrastate Trips Table 3-5 Lane Transit District Ridership Counts, Route 91, McKenzie Bridge Table 3-6 Porter Stage Lines Schedule, Eugene to Bend Table 4-1 Projected Traffic Volumes, 1995-2017 Table 4-2 Projected Travel Times in 2016 Highway 126 East Interim Corridor Strategy, May 1998 List of Appendices Applicable Directives and State-Wide Plans Applicable Regional and Local Plans Advisory Committees Summary of the Public Involvement Program McKenzie River Aerial Spawning Ground Survey ODOT Overview of the Highway 126 East Corridor Description of Level of Service ODOT Accident Summary Investigative Report Corridor Segment Inventory Acronyms Highway 126 East Interim Corridor Strategy, May 1998 Executive Summary Executive Summary This Executive Summary presents major findings and conclusion from Phase I of the corridor planning process for the Highway 126 East Corridor, which extends from Interstate 5 in Springfield to Oregon Highway 22 at Santiam Junction. Please refer to Chapters 5 and 6 of this report for the full range of issues, goals, and objectives. What is Corridor Planning And Why is it Being Done? The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is developing plans for 31 transportation corridors identified in the Oregon Transporlalion Plan (OTP) as being of state-wide importance. A corridor plan is a long-range plan for managing and improving transportation facilities and services to meet needs for moving people and goods. A key element of corridor planning is consideration of the linkage between land use and transportation needs. The benefits of long-term planning in the Highway 126 East Corridor include: resolution of major planning issues, preservation of transportation rights-of-way, protection of transportation investments, and cooperation among diverse public and private agencies and organizations to implement projects and services. The OTP establishes the general policies and planning direction for the development of corridor plans. It also responds to related modal and program plans for freight movement, rail service, aviation, pedestrian, bicycle, public transportation, and safety. Corridor plans assist in the development of transportation projects for implementation through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Corridor planning is organized into three phases, proceeding from the general to the specific. In the first phase, Corridor Strategy development, transportation goals and management objectives are identified. The second phase includes preparation of GeneralISystem Plans, which define the transportation improvement needs and accompanying land use framework. In sections of the corridor with particular environmental, land use, or operational concerns, Refinement Plans can be developed as a third phase. lnterim corridor strategies (strategies) address the operation, preservation, and enhancement of transportation facilities in the corridors. Strategies cover a 20-year planning horizon, building upon federal, state, and local transportation and land use policies and plans. Collaboration among political jurisdictions and planning agencies, in consultation with residents, users, and other stakeholders results in a strategy that will guide subsequent development of a corridor plan and refinement plans. It also serves as the basis for selection of individual improvement projects and implementation of new or expanded transportation services. Highway 126 East Interim Corridor Strategy, May 1998 ES-i Development of the lnterim Corridor Strategy for Highway 126 East required an extensive public involvement program to facilitate the exchange of information between stakeholders; the general public; federal, state and local governments; and the Corridor planning staff team. Citizen involvement efforts helped to identify public issues and values regarding transportation in the Corridor. In addition to providing information and opportunities for involvement, the process developed a structure through which ODOT, local jurisdictions, and stakeholders could begin to build lasting partnerships around transportation issues. This collaborative approach has proven beneficial in gathering information locally and ensuring that local jurisdictions and ODOT are working together with their constituents and with each other at each step of the planning process. Implementation of the Corridor Strategy and Plan is dependent upon the availability of funding. Endorsement or adoption of the Plan by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) does not guarantee financial resources to carry out the projects and programs contained in the Plan, nor can the OTG commit the financial resources of other agencies or public bodies. Corridor Overview The Highway 126 East Corridor (Corridor) extends nearly 80 miles from lnterstate 5 to Oregon Highway 22 at Santiam Junction as shown in Figure ES-1. The Corridor is a principal route that links the southern Willamette Valley to central and eastern Oregon. Consequently, the Corridor received designation as a State-Wide Highway and is included in the National Highway System. The western 6.4-mile portion of the Corridor is a four-lane, fully access-controlled freeway. This stretch serves as a bypass around Springfield and provides convenient access from lnterstate 5 and lnterstate 105 to the McKenzie River Valley. In the Thurston neighborhood, the Corridor becomes a five- lane principal arterial until approximately %-mile west of the Springfield city limits. The remainder of the Corridor is a two-lane facility with occasional passing lanes. The Corridor serves the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area and connects rural communities in the McKenzie Valley. While the western portion of the Corridor is urbanized, the remainder is characterized by small rural communities, interspersed within areas of agricultural and/or public and private forest land. The Corridor is regularly used for recreational/tourist travel and for transport of goods between the southern Willamette Valley, the lnterstate 5 Corridor, and areas to the east, including Bend and Sisters, Oregon and Boise, Idaho. Area businesses use it to transport wood products and other resource materials from source to processing facilities. It also serves as an important regional freight and farm-to-market Corridor. The highway is the sole commuter