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Depoe Bay looks to quick fixes for Heiberg/Hybrid/Hawkins after residents press for safety changes
Summary
After extended public comment about poor sight lines and near-misses, the Depoe Bay City Council directed staff to install signage, trim vegetation and pursue modest line-of-sight fixes on Heiberg/Hybrid/Hawkins while asking the city engineer for a scoped study cost if council wants a change that would conflict with ODOT guidance.
Councilors and residents spent more than an hour debating vehicle movements and safety at the Heiberg/Hybrid/Hawkins neighborhood during the Nov. 12 Depoe Bay City Council meeting. Multiple residents described near-misses and poor sight lines at hilltops and intersections and urged the council to convert short stretches to one-way traffic or make other changes to reduce collisions.
John Christiansen, the city engineer, told the council that clearing vegetation on Hawkins and improving visibility “will be a good step in the right direction” and that any option that moves more traffic onto Highway 101 could trigger ODOT safety requirements and sideline issues that the city must meet. “Putting all traffic routed from Heiberg into Highway 101 is not a safe condition,” Christiansen said, citing insufficient sight distance for northbound traffic on 101 to stop safely if a vehicle enters at the wrong moment.
Councilors discussed a range of lower-cost, near-term measures. Staff recommended trimming vegetation, adding standardized caution signage and piloting parking pull-outs at narrow locations. After public comment and engineer input, the council directed staff to proceed with signage and vegetation work as an initial step and asked engineers for a cost estimate for a more detailed traffic study should the council later elect to pursue changes that may require ODOT approval.
The decision emphasizes incremental fixes rather than immediately overturning engineering guidance. Council members also asked staff to seek short-term, low-cost treatments (such as clearing sight lines and evaluating a possible pull-out) before committing to a larger, agency-driven redesign that would carry higher costs and regulatory hurdles. The council left open the option of pursuing a formal study and additional engineering work if the pilot actions fail to satisfy residents.
Next steps: staff will draft signage designs and a vegetation-trimming plan, consult with the engineer on a scoped estimate for a traffic study, and return with recommendations at an upcoming meeting.
