| State agencies find ideal solution |
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| State agencies put their heads together for an ideal solution |
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Collaboration increases safety at Oregon park.
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The Valley of the Rogue State Park, right below the Interstate 5 bridges over the Rogue River just east of Grants Pass, is one of the most visited state parks in Oregon. Unfortunately, the access road to the rest area and campground was designed before semi-tractor trailers—and super-sized motor homes—frequented the scenic spot. As the photograph shows, drivers of large vehicles have to leave their lane to make the turn or risk clipping the bridge bent cap.
In recent years, 18 wheelers have been joined by two wheelers, as an increasing number of people take to their bikes to see the countryside. Under the I-5 bridges at the park entrance is one of the gaps in a potential 30-mile trail between the cities of Rogue River and Gold Hill.
As can be expected, ODOT had a lot of multimodal interest groups on its hands when it prepared to repair the bridges as part of the OTIA III bridge program.
Enter Chris Hunter, ODOT Region 3 project manager, Sheila Lyons, manager of ODOT’s Bike and Pedestrian Program, and their colleagues from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Kathy Schutt, planning manager, Cliff Houck, real property manager, and Andre Briggs, park manager. After several months of noodling and negotiating, this team put together a solution that will make cyclists, strollers, truckers and RV drivers very happy.
As part of its work on the bridges above the park, ODOT will move a retaining wall far enough to accommodate a second access road. The Bike and Pedestrian Program will dip into its Quick Fix fund to help allay the costs of the added roadway. OPRD will allow the construction on its property. And the Rogue River Greenway Trail will get another link in its bike and pedestrian path between two popular southeastern Oregon cities.
“Opportunity was knocking,” said Lyons. “Region 3 did a fantastic job, and the bridge program engineers just kept coming up with better and better designs.”
“It’s always great when you can come up with a solution that accommodates future growth,” said Hunter. “After we weighed all the pros and cons, we realized that a second road and bike and pedestrian path didn’t cost that much, and the benefit would be enormous.”
The result is a shining example of an environmentally sensitive and sustainable solution that satisfies multiple stakeholders. The new dual-access road protects both the drivers operating below the bridge and the bridge itself. The location of the path and the new road still safeguards the wetlands of the nearby river, and will even include a bioswale, which treats runoff from roadways.
ODOT has helped facilitate other parts of the 30-mile trail, including the intersection of Oregon 140 at Blackwell and the underway with Evan Creek.
“Many of these bike trails weave in and around state highways, and we appreciate ODOT going above and beyond to help address the issues. Here, for example, they designed the approach road to slow people down and avoid the hazard of a hard right turn,” said Schutt. “Every group gained something in this project.”
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