Newberg council reopens East Illinois Street trial closure, sends long-term fix to traffic-safety commission

Mayor Bill Rosacker called the meeting to order on July 6 and the council spent the evening debating a six-month trial closure of East Illinois Street that had been implemented in 2025.

City Manager Will Meade summarized the trial and staff's reasoning: the city canceled an expensive engineering study after concluding it was unlikely to produce a viable, fundable option (ODOT declined to pay for signalized intersections and a roundabout would likely require property condemnation). Meade said the trial was meant to test whether a closure would reduce complaints and congestion without spending the $200,000-plus a study would have cost.

During public comment, neighbors and business representatives gave conflicting accounts. An East North Street resident said the closure redirected heavy, fast traffic onto a narrow residential block and called the change a safety hazard for children. "This street closure has made our street unsafe for our children," the resident said. Brianna Oliver Palmquist, another East North resident, said she had multiple close calls and had not been notified before the closure. Johnny Zimmerman, who lives outside city limits, said East Illinois is a wide, major collector built for heavy and emergency traffic and that reopening was necessary to avoid forcing traffic onto roads not designed for it.

Property owners and residents who supported keeping the closure emphasized the intersection's poor geometry. Kathy Meyer, representing owners of a large industrial building in the enterprise zone, said the closure has made leasing and freight access more difficult and urged reopening and completion of the professional engineering study and cooperation with ODOT before permanent changes.

Council members debated competing priorities: child and neighborhood safety, preservation of light-industrial access, prior outreach limitations and the council's limited staff and study budget. Councilor Elise Yarnell Holloman emphasized concern about relying on anecdotal feedback and urged a data-driven approach through the Traffic Safety Commission. Councilor Robin McBride and others said they were mindful of potential business impacts if industrial parcels cannot be leased.

Councilor Elise Yarnell Holloman moved to reopen the temporary closure at Illinois and Main as soon as staff can practically implement it, and to direct the Traffic Safety Commission to develop a long-term solution and return to council. City Recorder Rachel Thomas read the motion for the record. The motion passed on a voice vote: five in favor, one opposed.

The council's action reopens the corridor immediately pending traffic-safety commission work and further data collection. The commission is expected to consider alternative traffic-calming measures, signage, police speed enforcement and possible capital improvements and return with recommendations.

What happens next: the council asked staff to coordinate with the Traffic Safety Commission, gather relevant police and traffic data for the commission, and report back with a recommended course that balances safety, connectivity and industrial access.