HomeMy WebLinkAboutODOT re Lafayette Aveo /' `'�iC Board of Count Commissioners
March 8, 2010
Mr. Robert Bryant
Region Manager
ODOT Region 4
63055 N. Highway 97
Bend, OR 97701
Dear Bob:
1300 NW Wall St, Suite 200 • Bend, OR 97701.1960
[541) 388-6570 • Fax (541) 385-3202
www.co.deschute:,.or.us
board@co,deschuteE,.or.us
Tammy Baney
Dennis F. Luke
Alan Unger
We are asking ODOT to address a long-standing traffic safety issue at NW Lafayette Ave. and
the Parkway. The large sign north of Lafayette Ave. ("Lafayette Ave, State/County Offices"
exit sign on the west side of the Parkway) restricts sight distance for vehicles entering the
Parkway from Lafayette Ave. The marginal sight -distance at this intersection has become more
of an issue as the traffic volume and vehicle speed on the Parkway has increased. To accelerate
from a stop at Lafayette Ave. onto the Parkway, one must be able to judge the gaps in the flow of
traffic. The large sign which obstructs the driver's sight -distance makes it much more difficult to
anticipate these ever smaller gaps. Members of the public have mentioned this lack of sight
distance in conversations with at least one of the Board members.
The Lafayette Ave. access to the Parkway is one of the major accesses to Deschutes County and
State services. This issue is of critical importance to the County — we ask that you please look
into this issue. We look forward to meeting with you to discuss possible solutions to this public
safety concern.
Sincerely,
The Dese rtes County Board of Commissioners
De nis R. Luke, a
Alan Unger, Vice Chair
ki/VA 7
Tarnrriy Baxley, Commissioner
Enhancing the Lives of Citizens by Delivering Quality Services in a Cost -Effective Manner
•Oigon
April 7, 2010
Board of County Commissioners
1300 NW Wall St, Suite 200
Bend, OR 97701-1960
Dear Commissioners:
Department of Transportation
Robert W. Bryant
Region 4 Manager
63055 N. Hwy 97
Bend, OR 97701
(541)388-6180
FAX: (541) 388-6231
FILE CODE:
This is in response to your letter of March 8, 2010, regarding the safety concern and
sight distance at the intersection of US 97 (Bend Parkway) and Lafayette Avenue.
My Region Traffic Manager has reviewed this location and in the last five years, found
that there have been nine crashes in the area of the intersection. None of the crashes
were angle crashes which would typically be attributable to a lack of sight distance at
the intersection. Several of the crashes were rear -end crashes on Lafayette Avenue
itself. This type of crash could be attributed to motorists believing that the driver in front
was going to accept a gap when in fact they did not and the second vehicle in line
moves forward striking the leading vehicle. There were also some rear -end crashes on
the main line of the Parkway itself. This may be caused by turning vehicles slowing
down before entering the deceleration lane, or vehicles slowing down in the travel lane
because a vehicle from the side street selected too small of a gap in traffic which
impeded the flow. Of the nine crashes, eight were property damage only and one crash
resulted in a minor injury.
We also reviewed the sight distance at the intersection. In a passenger car, the driver
actually can look beneath the sign and have limited sight distance. A driver in a Tight
truck, SUV or larger truck looks into the sign and for a short time loses sight of the
vehicles southbound on the Parkway. In order to gain adequate sight distance, the
driver must pull forward into the crosswalk. This is a common maneuver in urban areas.
At many intersections buildings, landscaping, parked cars or many other obstacles
block sight distance. In these situations, the driver stops at the crosswalk and yields tc
any pedestrians and then pulls forward so that he/she has adequate sight distance.
I believe the sight distance concern is exacerbated by the lack of available gaps on the
Parkway, particularly at peak periods. As you note the speeds and volumes on the
Parkway are relatively high. It is becoming more difficult to find a safe gap in traffic.
Some potential solutions that we would like to explore with City and County staff are:
• Encouraging County staff and customers to use an alternate route to access US 9-J'.
Entering US 97 at the Revere or Colorado Interchanges would likely be safer than
Board of County Commissioners
April 7, 2010
Page 2 of 2
attempting to turn at a 'T' intersection. This could be accomplished through
education and outreach or more infrastructure that could be put in place to
discourage lefts from the County driveway.
• Removing the sign and replacing it with a smaller one. Originally the signing at the
intersection only directed motorists to Lafayette Avenue. The County asked us to
install a new sign for the County building when it opened. This new sign is
significantly larger than the old one. We would have more flexibility in locating a
smaller sign. However, we believe that the lack of gaps at the intersection is of
larger concern than the available sight distance.
• Relocating the existing sign. Relocating the existing sign would be expensive and
somewhat limited due to significant utility conflicts in the area. The footings on this
size of sign are very Targe and the steel supports are costly. The costs of new
supports and footings could easily exceed $10,000 and as mentioned above, we
don't believe this will solve the underlying problem.
• Restricting turning movements at the intersection of US 97 and Lafayette. The
Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) regarding the construction and operation of the
Bend Parkway section of US 97 between ODOT and the City of Bend calls for the
closure of at -grade intersections on US 97 if a safety problem develops. The IGA
doesn't define what a safety problem is. It is up to the City and ODOT to come to
agree on when the safety concerns at these intersections warrants further
restrictions or closure. As volumes grow, finding gaps on US 97 becomes more
difficult. If the alternate routes are viable for the primary user, perhaps we are at
that point where we should explore closing some or all of the movements at the
intersection.
My recommendation will be that we consider the option of restricting the turning
movement from Lafayette onto the Parkway southbound. I will schedule a time we can
meet at your convenience to discuss this and other options to improve safety for this
section of the Bend Parkway.
erely,
Robert. W. Bry: nt, PE
Region Manage
• $ ♦ • • ;
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Proposed Amendment to Bend Area General Plan
Draft - June 30, 1992
STREETS AFFECTING PARKWAY
Several City streets segments will be critical to the efficient
functioning of the Parkway. Careful review of development
proposals and regulation of access along these streets is essential
to ensuring that traffic does not adversely impact the Parkway. In
general, direct access to these streets should not be allowed where
alternative access exists or can be provided. These streets are
identified in Table 1, below:
:?;:*•'••
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•Cr :. `7s• '.�?"4 �"e'L:;; 1. }i.'^YS i. rhiG.'•'`'.C:..^:: }: +i`r\i<.+rays.
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Table:a`;T.-StreetS.egments.{ v£critica`
eff is :ent ' inctioning of zthe.:-Parkwa
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10111.
Empire Blvd. between 3rd
Street and Anderson Road
Hill Street between Revere
and Wall
Wilson Ave between Pelton
Road and 3rd
Reed Road between the
Parkway and 3rd
Butler Market Rd. from 3rd
Street east to the Parkway
Irving Ave* between the
Parkway and Hill
Greeley Ave* between the
Parkway and Hill
Hill St* between Kearney
and Irving
Pinebrook Blvd between the
Parkway and 3rd
Colorado between Harriman
and Hill ._.
Arthur Avenue between the
Parkway anct 3rd
Powers Rd between Blakeley
and 3rd
Badger Rd. between the
Parkway and 3rd
Hawthorne Ave* between the
Parkway and Hill
Lafayette Ave* between the
Parkway and Hill St.
Kearney Ave* between the
Parkway and Hill
* Street segment. of special concern. See discussion following
list
-1-
EXHIBIT D
1
4
t1
1'• 1 1• 1+`` 1 '
AREA OF SPECIAL CONCERN
The street segments highlighted with an asterisk in Table 1
constitute an area of special concern. This area is bounded by
Lafayette Avenue on the north, the Parkway to the east, Hill Street
on the west, and Greeley to the south. (See Figure 2)..
This area is currently predominately residential, but the majority
of the area is zoned commercial. Given this zoning, the proximity
to the Parkway, and the existence of several local streets with
direct access to the Parkway, there will be strong redevelopment
pressures on the parcels in this area. As commercial redevelopment
occurs in this area, direct access to the streets highlighted in
Table 1 should not be allowed. For parcels abutting Lafayette,
Kearney, Irving, Hawthorne, and Greeley, access should be taken
from •the "alley". If it is not feasible for the development to
take access off of the alley, any direct access onto the street
segments should be conditional on dedicating right of way for the
future development of a street along the existing alley alignment.
At such time as this street is built, the development would close
their access onto the street of special concern and take their
exclusive access from the former alley alignment.
If traffic on any of these streets adversely affects the safety or
function of the Parkway, the connection of these streets with the
Parkway may be restricted or eliminated by the Oregon Department of
Transportation.
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Bonnie Baker
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Bonnie Baker
From: Kevin Keillor [kevin@keillorhill.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 9:34 AM
To: Board
Subject: Parkway and Lafayette
Commissioners:
The main obstacle to turning right onto the Parkway from Lafayette is that the majority of vehicles use the right Ian a.
ODOT should considered signs along the Parkway that advise through traffic to use the left lane and local traffic tc use
the right lane. This could have the added benefit of slowing speeders in the left lane. Respectfully,
Kevin J. Keillor
4/28/2010