Estacada traffic committee approves prioritized school-crossing, lighting and safety plan and $15,000 operating budget

The Estacada Traffic & Public Safety Committee on Feb. 26 approved a prioritized set of safety projects focused on school crossings, pedestrian lighting, sidewalks and ADA access and voted to fund the committee's programs with a roughly $15,000 operating budget for the 2025—26 cycle.

Committee members said they plan to use a list developed from a 2017 Safe Routes to School assessment to guide work this year, with an initial emphasis on six priority intersections that committee members identified as having the greatest need: Sixth and Broadway; Tenth and Broadway; two crossings on Eagle Creek Highway (near Liberty Hill Way and the new apartment areas); Pierce and Shafford; and the skate-park/library corridor. The list also includes a series of additional crossings, lighting audits and sidewalk gaps noted by staff and residents.

The committee's chair told members the list will guide funding requests and engineering work: the city manager and budget staff previously toured…