June 10, 2009

Open house looks at westside traffic plan

     There may be many more roundabouts in your future.
     Six of them are proposed for the west side of The Dalles by the Oregon Department of Transportation as part of a proposed I-84/Chenoweth Interchange Area Master Plan. (See map.)
     ODOT traffic managers will hold an open house Thursday starting at 6 p.m at the Civic Auditorium to hear what local motorists have to say about the proposed long-range plan.
     The plan also includes an underpass for Hostettler at the railroad track. That means excavating below current street level so the street would dive beneath the current tracks. West Second would also have to be lowered to intersect Hostetler at the new lower level.
     This is part of a negotiated agreement with ODOT and the city and county in order to alleviate traffic on the Chenoweth overpass, which was not designed for Wal-Mart volumes.
     “The problem is not the capacity of the interchange itself,” said city planner Dick Gassman. “The problem is the amount of space they have to queue people for turns.”
The plan proposes traffic lights at the top of the ramps on the overpass, which won’t eliminate the problem of poor visibility, but will make it less an issue.
     “Building new interchanges or modifying existing interchanges is very costly,” says an ODOT flyer on the meeting Thursday. “Therefore, it is in the interest of the state, local governments and citizens to ensure that an interchange functions as it was designed, for as many years as possible.”
     An IAMP is the governing plan for a major intersection, focused on protecting the investment that taxpayers are making in the transportation facility.
     In the case of the Chenoweth Interchange, the IAMP will serve newly rezoned land in the commercial/light industrial area as well as a planned development near the shore of the Columbia River. ODOT is presenting a broad scope to hear what people have to say about the plan.
     “It’s important that people who have an interest in the area present their opinions of the plan, as it will govern transportation needs in the area for a significant period of time,” according to Peter Murphy, an ODOT spokesman.
     The final plan will be adopted by the City of The Dalles, Wasco County and ODOT. It will include:
     • Near-term and long-term transportation improvements for the interchange and surrounding road network
     • A local circulation plan that identifies and alignms future streets
     • An access management plan that identifies the number and location of driveways along River Road and Sixth Street
     • Land use regulations that will include the type of allowed developments and their potential financial contribution to various improvements.
     Following Thursday’s open house, the plan will be presented to a joint meeting of The Dalles Planning Commission and The Dalles City Council the following Thursday, June 18, also at 6 p.m.