Sean C. Morgan
Linn County is updating its Transportation System Plan, and it wants public input to help guide its plans for the next 20 years.
County officials hosted a public meeting Thursday afternoon, Dec. 1, at the Jim Riggs Community Center to collect comments. About 15 people attended, including representatives of Cascade Timber Consulting, Oregon Department of Forestry, Linn County Shuttle, the Santiam Spokes, the City of Sweet Home and the South Santiam Watershed Council.
The meeting was not advertised publicly until late in the process, and The New Era was not aware of it until after the Nov. 30 issue had gone to press.
Those who missed it can visit the project website and leave comments about transportation there.
“The main thing we want to hear is what you’re interested in, in terms of service,” said Carl Springer, a partner with DKS Associates, a Salem-based transportation planning and engineering firm.
Springer said that one thing he has been hearing during this process is about how well Linn County takes care of its roads, but as the county and cities grow, “should you be doing anything different?”
County planners want to know what happens on county roads in terms of safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians trying to cross the roadways, Springer said. Additionally, the plan also looks at public transit and other transportation-related topics.
The county has already gathered a lot of information, but it can still add new information to the plan, Springer said. With that information in hand, its starting to look for solutions.
“Even though we may not be able to fix everything right away, it’s good to have them on the list,” Springer said.
That list of needs helps the county pursue grants to improve roads, said Chuck Knoll, Linn County engineer. It’s helped bring some $25 million in grant funds to the Sweet Home area in recent years.
“We understand what the needs are,” Springer said. “We can’t tell what’s missing.”
That’s where public input comes into the picture.
“The more the better,” Springer said. “It really helps us when people tell us what’s going on.”
Consultants are just guides, Springer said. It’s the members of the public who live in the area who know about the local transportation system.
Among reported needs in the Sweet Home area are several spots along Highway 228 southwest of Sweet Home, with sight distance issues at intersections, including both ends of Crawfordsville Drive, Fern Ridge Road and Northern Drive. Other reported needs include high-accident areas east of Sweet Home on Highway 20 and the railroad crossing at the east end of Sweet Home. Also included in the plan is the misaligned intersection at Ridgeway and Marks Ridge and the busy section of North River Drive between Sunnyside Drive and Quartzville Road.
A map of collision rates shows the highest level of crashes along Highway 20 east of Sweet Home and Upper Calapooia Drive. Both areas are more than 100 percent above target crash rates.
For further information or to leave comments, visit linncountytsp.org.