The River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan is in the final stage of the project. After years of gathering community input for the visions, goals, and policies in the Neighborhood Plan, the project team is excited to share the draft Neighborhood Plan back out to the community.

For the month of August, the project newsletters will be highlighting the five topic areas in the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan each week – Community, Transportation, Parks and Natural Resources, Economic Development, and Land Use. This week’s focus is on the Transportation topic area.

The community vision for Transportation:

The integrated transportation system in River Road and Santa Clara is safe, efficient, and accessible for people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic levels who choose to bike, walk, drive, or use public transit. This system supports redevelopment, economic opportunity, and affordable, convenient access to daily needs. The design of the transportation system enhances the sense of place and responds to the evolving needs of the community. Our transportation system is environmentally responsible and supports low carbon transportation options.

The Neighborhood Plan policies (statements adopted to provide a consistent course of action and move the community toward attainment of its goals) for Transportation focus on:

• expanding active transportation networks
• prioritizing infrastructure improvements
• educating youth about transportation options
• creating a transportation system that responds to long-term needs

The proposed draft code:

• supports coordinated land use and transportation planning by focusing on neighborhood centers near future transportation improvements along the corridor
• also includes design objectives to support innovative, active transportation options such as walking, bicycling, and public transit while promoting human scale design

Transportation Project Updates

Click to watch a video of City staff discussing some upcoming transportation projects in River Road and Santa Clara. 

More project updates:

Beaver/Hunsaker Corridor Improvements and River Road/Hunsaker Intersection Improvements

• Lane County completed construction of the Beaver Street shared use path as part of the Beaver/Hunsaker safety project. This project also includes a stutter-flash crossing at Taito Lane and tubular delineators installed along the fog line of the south side of Hunsaker Lane to demark the wider shoulder created for people to walk more comfortably.
• The City of Eugene will start construction of complete street improvements (sidewalks, bike lanes, stormwater) on Hunsaker Lane From Daffodil Court east towards Taito Lane in late fall or early winter, aiming to complete construction in mid-summer 2023.
• See the Beaver/Hunsaker Corridor Plan for background on the project.

Beltline Interchange Improvements

• Both the Beltline Facility Plan and Eugene’s Transportation System Plan include safety and mobility improvements along the Beltline, including the Delta Highway and River Road interchanges. ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) completed NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) documentation in March for the entire Beltline project, which allows a project to use federal money for construction. This puts ODOT and/or the City/County in a good position to pursue funding opportunities and move forward with additional design or construction efforts.
• Learn more about the project here.

Local Arterial Bridge at Division

• The project plans include constructing a multimodal local arterial bridge over the Willamette River to the north of the Beltline Highway, connecting Division Avenue to Green Acres Road; constructing operational improvements to existing Randy Papé Beltline Highway/Delta Highway ramps consistent with the Beltline Highway Facility Plan. This project will address some of the concerns about connectivity and congestion identified through the neighborhood planning process.
• See the recent presentation about this project at the Santa Clara Community Organization meeting here.

Safe Routes to School – Howard Avenue

• As part of a Safe Routes to School project, the City will connect River Road with Howard Elementary and Kelly Middle School with a protected walking and bicycling space, while enabling the curbless street to retain rural character.
• Learn more about the project here. 

Have questions?

• Come chat with the Neighborhood Plan project team to ask questions and share feedback by dropping in to virtual office hours on Tuesday August 30th from 11:30am-12:30pm on Zoom. Link to join: https://eugene-or-gov.zoom.us/j/87265174568.
• Visit the Neighborhood Plan’s Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions.
• Don’t see your question? Submit one on the RRSC Engage Eugene project page.

For more information, project updates, and important dates visit the RRSC Neighborhood Plan project website and the Engage Eugene project page.