Amazon Path Construction Starting July 6

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June 29, 2009 CONTACT: Sarah Thorpe, Transportation Planning Intern, 682-5378 From Public Information Section, 682-2793 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Amazon Path Construction Starting July 6 The Amazon path rehabilitation project will begin Monday July 6, 2009. Starting July 6th, the path will be closed from 24th Ave to the Amazon Pool and Community Center for the first phase of the project. Construction will continue through the summer, and is scheduled to be completed at the end of August. The rehabilitation of Amazon path will make it safer for the thousands of people who walk, run, cycle and skate on the path each year. The entire project calls for the rehabilitation of the path from 19th to 31st avenues. The 40-year-old path was built in the 1970s on an unstable, expansive-clay subsurface. This means the ground underneath the path expands during the winter when the ground is wet and then contracts when the ground dries out in the summer. As a result, the path has developed numerous cracks and sunken and heaved concrete and asphalt panels, creating potential hazards for path users. The path will continue to deteriorate unless proper repairs are made. Path closures will be kept as brief as possible; however, path users should anticipate extended closures at various locations throughout the summer. Alternative routes will be displayed on project signs and other outreach materials, including a project website. The project is funded by the five-year general obligation (property tax) bond measure approved by Eugene voters in November 2008 to fix city streets and local bike paths. The bond measure is designed to fix approximately 70 lane miles of streets and three miles of off-street bike and pedestrian paths. The path projects for the bond measure were selected by City staff and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) based on a pavement evaluation system and usage data. For more information, visit www.eugene-or.gov/pwprojects. # # #