Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Streets Transportation Projects topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public works plans ADA ramp push, Sixth Street bridge study and Tenth Street safe-routes construction
Summary
Public works highlighted a multi-year effort to address ADA ramp backlogs, a study and likely replacement for the aging Sixth Street bridge, and a Tenth Street Safe Routes to School project due to start construction this month with federal and local matching funds.
Public works staff told the budget committee they are prioritizing a multi-year program to design and construct ADA curb ramps across the city and to commission studies for the Sixth Street bridge and a mid-block pedestrian crossing on Sixth Street.
Staff identified $50,000 in the street fund for engineering services to design a backlog of ADA ramps and noted city crews have taken on some ramp construction in-house to reduce costs. Councilors and staff discussed per-ramp cost estimates: recent contractor prices range from $8,000 to $12,000 per ramp; in-house work can reduce direct costs toward $6,000 per ramp.
The Sixth Street bridge (historic/narrow structure) was flagged by staff as approaching the end of an extended service life and subject to load restrictions. Staff said inspection reports from Oregon Department of Transportation indicate the bridge may need replacement; the budget includes funds for a detailed study and replacement plan. Committee members asked whether a new structure would be widened and how traffic would be routed during construction; staff said those details will come out of the pending study and noted the Cherry Heights extension was originally planned to handle diverted traffic.
Construction on the Tenth Street Safe Routes to School project — filling sidewalk gaps, adding rectangular rapid-flashing beacon crosswalks at Emerson and Chenoweth Loop, and related pedestrian safety improvements — is set to begin late May with an August completion target. The project is funded primarily by an ODOT Safe Routes to School grant (about $995,000) supplemented by about $200,000 each from the school district and city.
Staff also explained an engineering reallocation for the Zayo fiber franchise fee increase: a negotiated franchise adjustment followed years of locate and utility conflict that forced relocations of city utilities during prior sewer projects and increased the franchise-fee line in the street fund.
