The planned construction of a four-lane expressway through West Eugene to ease congestion in the area hit a red light during winter break.
The Eugene City Council voted Dec. 13 against a wetlands amendment, an element necessary for the continuance of the West Eugene Parkway project.
The council didn’t actually vote against the parkway, but against an amendment that would have allowed the expressway to pass through a wetlands area between West 11th Avenue and the Southern Pacific railroad tracks. That vote essentially halted the parkway’s progress, Mayor Jim Torrey said.
Councilors who opposed the wetlands amendment said the wetlands should be protected, and some councilors suggested the city focus on promoting alternative transportation rather than building more roads.
“More concrete is not the solution to traffic congestion,” said Betty Taylor, who voted with three other councilors against the amendment.
The proposed parkway would have linked Highway 99 with Highway 126. The road was designed to alleviate congestion on West 11th, provide a faster route for people traveling from Eugene to the coast and improve access to West Eugene from downtown.
Councilor Bonny Bettman, who voted against the wetlands amendment, said the parkway would have been an ineffective use of tax dollars.
“Moving forward with this project would have used all available state funding for the next 20 years, except for the I-5 interchange project,” Bettman wrote in an e-mail to the Emerald.
The plan originated in the 1960s, when a highway study recognized the need for a limited-access road that would serve West Eugene and link Interstate 5 with Highway 126. In 1986, Eugene voters approved a route previously selected by the council for a freeway.
“The measure [in 1986] did not ask voters whether or not they wanted the highway to be built or if they wanted to spend the money,” said Bettman, “only if they approved the route selected by council.”

Approving the parkway project would make impossible a long list of other projects prioritized for that same funding, Bettman said, including some safety improvements in West Eugene.
“[City Council] was pushed to put all of the future road-building money for the 20 years into one project,” Taylor said. “That would take just about all of the money for this area.”
However, supporters of the plan argue that abandoning a project of this size will hurt Eugene in several ways.
“There are millions of dollars that have already been invested, and it would be very unfortunate to bring that to a halt,” said Terry Connolly, director of governmental affairs for the Eugene Chamber of Commerce. “Aside from not improving traffic, the biggest repercussion [of killing the plan] will be Eugene’s reputation. The ability to secure funding for transportation for future needs will be significantly diminished.”
Connolly said the city’s decision to back away from the parkway project could jeopardize relationships with government planning agencies.
“This will put Eugene at a disadvantage for years to come,” he said.
With Eugene’s reputation in mind, Torrey said he is working to bring back the project.
“I am going to do everything I can to convince the council to place this issue in front of the voters,” Torrey said. ” I want this parkway to be built. It’s in the best interest of the voters.”