Next Phase of West University Street Improvements Starts Next Week

New Search

July 29, 2011 CONTACT: John Bonham, Project Manager, 541-682-5300 From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 or 541-954-2938 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Next Phase of West University Street Improvements Starts Next Week; th 13 Avenue Temporarily Closed between Alder and Kincaid The next phase of a $2 million project to improve streets in the west university area begins th next week with the temporary closure of 13 Avenue between Alder and Kincaid streets. Work began in late June to repair Alder Street between Broadway (Franklin Avenue) and th 13 Avenue. Most of the heavy construction in that area has been completed although the top surface of asphalt paving won’t be applied until later in the project. th The next phase is the reconstruction of a one-block section of 13 Avenue immediately to the west of the University of Oregon campus. Crews from Wildish Construction, working under contract to the Eugene Public Works Department, will close the block to vehicular traffic and on- street parking for a couple of weeks to rebuild the existing street and sidewalks. Pedestrian access will be open to all businesses on that block during their business hours. A limited amount of additional one-hour parking has been made available through an agreement with the University of thth Oregon. Look for signage off 13 Alley to the east of Alder Street (just south of 13 Avenue). th The paving repairs on 13 Avenue are expected to take a couple of weeks to complete. th After 13 Avenue has been reconstructed, it will be reconfigured to include back-in diagonal parking and a variety of streetscaping enhancements. The third and final phase of the west university street work will be the reconstruction of Alder thth Street from 13 to 18 avenues. That work will start in mid- to late August and will require the closure of Alder Street while heavy construction and paving work are under way. When all the paving work is completed, a two-way cycle track will be striped on Alder th between 18 Avenue and Franklin Boulevard. By separating cyclists from vehicular traffic, the cycle track is expected to attract more families and cyclists who are uncomfortable riding in mixed traffic. The primary source of funding for the project is the 2008 voter-approved bond measure to fix city streets. The funding mix also includes local gas tax funds and a $707,000 state bicycle and pedestrian program grant. Additional information about the project and up-to-date road reports for this and other local projects are available at www.keepusmoving.info. # # # Public Works Administration ● City of Eugene ● 101 E. Broadway, Suite 400, Eugene, OR 97401 Phone 541-682-8421 ● Fax 541-682-6826 ● www.eugene-or.gov/pw