Council directs funding focus to Bryant, Goodall and McEwen pathway projects after TAB study session

The Lake Oswego City Council at a study session reviewed Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) pathway recommendations and gave staff direction to prioritize several sidewalk and pathway projects in the coming budget cycle.

Assistant City Engineer Will Farley reviewed TAB’s scoring method and the projects TAB recommended for the next round. TAB had re‑examined an earlier list of 43 school‑oriented projects from the Transportation System Plan and proposed a set of Group 3 projects, including segments on Boones Ferry (Bryant), Goodall Road and smaller infill links such as Atwater and O’Brien.

Farley said TAB’s methodology awarded points for roadway classification, proximity to schools (elementary schools scored highest), and gap completion. He walked council through recent pathway projects already completed and then summarized TAB’s next priorities, which included a full Bryant segment of Boones Ferry and several Goodall Road segments that would complete pedestrian connections to Lakeridge High School.

Staff raised concerns about two TAB recommendations—Atwater Road and O’Brien Street—because Atwater remains a Clackamas County roadway and would require a road transfer and significant frontage impacts; O’Brien would improve access for a small number of homes and would affect private driveways in unimproved right‑of‑way.

As alternatives, staff proposed (1) shortening the Fernwood pathway to a smaller, more feasible segment (Green Tree to Treetop) and (2) partnering with the Lake Oswego School District to build a McEwen Road pathway between Christie Way and 60 Fifth Avenue. Farley said McEwen was not in the city’s TSP but that the school district had already funded and advanced design work; the total project cost was estimated at about $1,000,000 and the district had indicated it could contribute about $200,000 toward construction.

Tony Vandenberg, executive director of project management for the Lake Oswego School District, spoke in support of McEwen and said the district had committed roughly $150,000 to design work to date and could seek board approval for an additional contribution toward construction. “During the design, throughout the construction, I maintained close contact with the neighborhood…this pathway [is] a really important need for the school and the surrounding community,” Vandenberg said.

Council discussion favored projects that serve the most students and that leverage partners. Multiple councilors said Bryant and Goodall are strong priorities for student routes and connectivity; several members expressed support for pursuing McEwen as a district partnership because the corridor serves River Grove Elementary and students come from both city and unincorporated areas. Councilor comments also emphasized that many of the easier pathway projects in the TSP have already been built and that remaining segments are more complex or costly.

Councilors asked staff to present Bryant, Goodall and McEwen in the upcoming capital improvement program proposal to the budget committee. Staff said they would provide a clearer statement of the Lake Oswego School District’s funding commitment for McEwen before Thursday’s budget committee meeting.

Farley and staff provided planning‑level cost estimates cited in the discussion: Bryant (Boones Ferry segment) was presented as an approximately $2.5 million segment to complete a high‑benefit link; the Goodall package was estimated at about $1.1 million (staff corrected an earlier report typo); Fernwood (full TSP segment) was estimated at $2.25 million with a reduced Green Tree–Treetop option estimated at about $1.4 million. McEwen was estimated at about $1.0 million total with the district’s suggested $200,000 contribution reducing the city share.

Staff said they would return with refined cost breakdowns and a proposed sequencing for the CIP; councilors asked that McEwen be included as a prioritized option paired with the school district’s contribution.