Why didn’t the student cross the road – it sounds like a bad joke – but Hilyard Street, the busy thoroughfare that separates the University from much of the rental housing west of campus, has been shut down until Aug. 1, dramatically reducing access for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
City of Eugene Public Works has divided the road work into two phases. From June 19 until August the street is closed between 13th and 18th Avenues, project manager Steve Gallup said. Blocks between 18th and 24th Avenues will be shut down from Aug. 2 until Sept. 4.
In total, the $2 million project will completely reconstruct 11 blocks from the ground up, Gallup said. Hilyard Street is a concrete street re-paved in asphalt, but damage and cracks in the underlying concrete have translated into larger potholes, ruts and cracks. Most of the funding for the project comes from Eugene’s local gasoline tax.
“Many, many years of travel and weather have caused damage to the point where the surface and the roadbed is cracking,” EPW public affairs manager Eric Jones said.
The resulting surface was dangerous to cyclists who were often forced to swerve
out of bike lanes to avoid large pot-holes, and motorists who were distracted by rough driving surfaces.
“Normally, when we’re doing roads within city limits we close one lane and work on the other,” Gallup said. “As we’re redoing this whole street, we’ve had to shut it all down.”
That has meant that sidewalks along Hilyard have remained open, but all east-west automobile cross-traffic is blocked and pedestrian and bicycle crossings through the work zones may be limited by construction.
On Monday, the first day of summer classes, community members crossing Hilyard Street carefully picked their way among palates of construction materials and piles of gravel strewn along the street on the way to or from school and work. Gallup said in the short-term this is fine.
“What we’ve seen is people crossing Hilyard at strategic points where it looks clear,” he said. “We have not closed that down because that’s okay.”
Eventually, most pedestrians and cyclists will need to make a detour down to East 13th or 18th Avenue because the entire street will be torn up, Jones said. Likewise, south Eugene residents who used the northbound-Hilyard Street as a primary route to downtown are encouraged to use High Street.
Ryan Callagan moved into his new apartment the day construction began, but said he has experienced little trouble.
“I ride a bike, so it’s pretty easy to get around it,” he said.
Eugene resident John Reynolds, 20, was seeking refuge from the heat Monday afternoon, but was frustrated by the limited access.
“Shit, man. All I wanted was some ice cream – I’ve been around the block three times,” he said.
The construction has also provoked major changes for businesses, services and public transport in the area. The city set up a special right-turn lane at the corner of Hilyard Street and East 13th Avenue to provide the Dairy Queen drive-through with access, and Lane Transit District, which uses Hilyard Street
as a major corridor, has re-routed many bus lines down High Street.
Residents who live along the construction zone have been given permits to allow them to park on side streets, and EPW is willing to allow vehicle access if permission is requested in advance, Jones said.
“When this is done,” Gallup said, “we won’t be touching this road for a long time.”
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