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CCNEWSOl.17 Page 1 ploar uodate on Ferrv Street Corridor Preservation-Enhancement Proiect Last August, the City Council directed staff to proceed with implementation of the Preservation-Enhancement Proiect in the Ferry Street Corridor. This project will preserve and improve the existing 41ane bridge while also improving 'roadway approaches, bicycle-pedestrian features, and general access and safety for all modes of transportation, throughout the corridor. The corridor Citizen Advisory Committee and City staff recommended proceeding with this project using available federal funds for the corridor and City/County local matching funds, while the Committee continued its work on the longer-range vision for this corridor and other river crossing proposals. (The Committee's final report, included in this week's Council packet, is scheduled for discussion at the CounciPs January 17, 1996 meeting.) Last fall, the City was able to secure federal approval to proceed with the Preservation-Enhancement project. The major steps in this process included: (1) the determination that the project's "environmental classification" would enable it to move forward prior to completion of the final environmental impact statement, since we will be preserving and improving existing infrastructure rather than adding significant new capacity; (2) programming of federal funds for preliminary engineering (surveying and design) for this project; and (3) inclusion of clarifying language in the National Highway System (NHS) legislation, passed and signed into law in November 1995, to ensure that all of the project elements will be eligible for the designated federal funds. We are grateful for Congressman De Fazio's assistance in obtaining the clause in the NHS law. City engineering staff began field surveying work earlier this week on the north portion of the corridor. A consulting team will be selected to carry out most of the design work, with City staff handling overall coordination and public information. We envision the overall project being developed in several phases, with separate construction contracts occurring over a period of several years. The first contract, which wil! probably involve roadway work and/or bicycle-pedestrian improvements on the north side of the river, is targeted for bidding before the end of 1996, with actual construction to occur in 1997. A project newsletter will be sent out to interested parties by the end of this month. I11/e will send that newsletter and subsequent updates to councilors, along with other information as the work progresses. For additional information please contact Dave Reinhard, Transportation Division (687-5218) or Tom !Larsen, Engineering Division (341-5886). "~pst Site Seeks Native Plants That ~^rll Succeed on Channel Banks The importance of routine inspection and ongoing maintenance of flood control channels and levees was brought home recently by the emergency repairs to an eroded levee on the Willamette River above Springfield. The Amazon Channel banks are mowed twice annually to comply with the requirements of the Army Corps of Engineers and City Code, facilitate channel inspection and preserve designed carrying capacity. However, mowing machinery often cannot reach to the bottom of the channel. For much of its length 30-50% of the bank falls below this "mowing line." Invasive exotic (nonnative) species such as blackberries, Scotch broom, and teasel, which are listed as nuisance vegetation in the City Code or noxious weeds by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, frequently dominate the channel banks in these zones, facilitating their spread. Staff of the Public Works Maintenance Division, assisted by a Looking Glass youth crew, have undertaken an effort to find native vegetation that can be established in these zones and compete successfully against the exotics with a minimum of human assistance. Atypical section of channel between Polk and Chambers streets was selected as a test site. Its relatively short length, proximity to the maintenance yard, ease of access via major arterial streets and through adjacent park land made this section a logical choice. Looking Glass workers removed the exotic invasive vegetation and assisted the City's Wetlands Maintenance Specialist in planting aquatic vegetation at the water line. Most recently, low growing shrubs were placed in the upland zones formerly dominated by blackberries. Native plantings to date have been modest, but more will be completed as time and plant materials are available. The site will be closely monitored and the success of various plant varieties evaluated. The goal of the effort is to find successful combinations of native plantings that can be duplicated in other channel sections where site conditions preclude modification of channel banks. For more ~ information please contact Tim Rhay or Bob Hammitt of Public Works Maintenance at 687-5220.