Alder Street will look completely different come fall — with a brand new two-way cycle route and new pavement — between Franklin Blvd. and 18th Avenue.
The City of Eugene is working on a project to reconstruct Alder Street from Broadway to East 18th Avenue and East 13th Avenue from Hilyard to Kincaid streets, including standard pavement work and streetscaping.
Funding for this $2 million project comes primarily from a bond measure to fix Eugene’s streets. Additional funding was provided through the state Bicycle-Pedestrian Program grant, transportation sustainable development coalitions, stormwater and wastewater funds and local gas tax revenues. @@http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BIKEPED/planproc.shtml@@
“The city had some money left over from a bond measure, and we’re using this to make upgrades throughout the city,” Eugene Project Manager John Bonham said.
College students will return home or start internships, and the City of Eugene, the City of Springfield, Oregon Department of Transportation, Lane County and the Lane Transit District will start construction projects to make the county ready for the fall, which inevitably marks the return of more college students and more rain. @@http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/@@
“It’s much more efficient to do the work in the summer because the cement gets time to dry,” Bonham said. “It helps that the streets around the University aren’t as busy.” @@Bonham: www.kval.com/news/local/119952239.html@@
LTD will renovate the University transit facilities on Kincaid Street north of East 13th Avenue to improve the transit service, sidewalk and traffic flow.
The Eugene Public Works Department has 20 major street and bike path repair projects scheduled this year. The estimated cost to complete all of these projects is more than $18 million. @@http://www.eugene-or.gov/portal/server.pt?space=CommunityPage&control=SetCommunity&CommunityID=220@@
“We are all delighted,” Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy said. “It’s a great benefit to the community.”
Voters approved a bond measure in 2008, which allowed the city to spend $35.9 million on improving city streets. Due to low construction costs, the city had a large amount remaining, which has now been reassigned to different construction projects throughout the city starting this summer.
Construction on the Casanova Center is about the start as well. The athletic center will be expanded by 130,000 square feet. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205035352@@
The project will last considerably longer than the city maintenance projects and will diminish parking by more than 700 spots during the 2011 football season. The stadium will gain a portion of those spots back for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.