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WHAT'S DOWN THE ROAD?
 Closer look: A circulation and access management plan focuses on Highway 30. (The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK). New business park likely to change complexion of Highway 30 between La Grande and truck stop Bill Rautenstrauch The Observer Local planners are betting on economic development and growth in and around La Grande in the next couple of decades. And as always, traffic management is an issue. A person with a good working crystal ball might especially see increased use and traffic pattern changes along Highway 30, from about East H Avenue in La Grande to the Interstate 84 ramps near the Flying J truck stop. That stretch of road, with some development already under way, contains parcels of land with commercial type zoning. And because of that, it is the subject of a document with the king-sized title "US 30: Gekeler Lane to I-84 Circulation and Access Management Plan.'' For short, the study is called the US 30 CAMP, and its proponents are taking it public. "The state is concerned if Highway 30 can serve increased activity," Jennifer Danzinger, a consultant for David Evans and Associates Inc., said during a recent presentation to the La Grande Planning Commission. Danzinger cautioned that the study looks ahead more than 20 years, that many of its aspects won't be implemented for quite some time. "I want to highlight that this won't happen suddenly," she said. But the development that spurred the plan the La Grande Business and Technology Park at the intersection of Gekeler Lane and Highway 30 is very much on the drawing boards and close to becoming reality. One customer, Comfort Dental Lab, is setting up in the park currently. La Grande's Urban Renewal Agency, meanwhile, is in the process of obtaining a loan from the state for development of the whole park. Once roads are built and infrastructure placed, traffic likely will increase in the area, the plan says. "The study was initiated in response to the planning of the business park," Danzinger said. The plan identifies existing traffic and land-use patterns, potential safety issues, and access and congestion issues. It also proposes measures to maintain safe and efficient operation of the highway. It is divided into an access management plan and a roadway improvement plan. The access management plan is designed to guard against a proliferation of driveways and minor street intersections, which could increase conflicts near ramp terminals. "We developed a list of possible actions for access management," said Danzinger. Roadway improvements in the study area were developed to enhance the capacity and safety of the system. Roadways within the study area include Gekeler Lane, Highway 30, Interstate 84, McAlister Road, 20th Street and East H Avenue. Altogether, the plan suggests eight roadway improvement projects that will conform to provisions and policies of the Oregon Highway Plan and other state transportation laws. "If traffic volumes become higher, it stands to impact the highway," Danzinger said. Five of the recommended projects might be built within 20 years of adoption of the US 30 CAMP; three others have proposed completion dates more than 20 years from adoption. Project options having to do with the business park include a traffic signal and additional lanes on US 30 at Gekeler Lane, and additional lanes on US 30 at the business park access. Options that could be implemented later are a traffic signal and additional lanes on US 30 and McAlister Road; additional connections to the business park; and extension of East H Avenue. to the east to create a new connection to US 30 opposite Gekeler Lane. Also proposed is realignment of Gekeler Lane east of Highway 30 to connect into the extension from East H. Other proposals, including frontage roads southwest and northeast of Highway 30, and an Interstate 84 overpass at Gekeler Lane, are considered to be more than 20 years out. Before implementation of even the early phases of the plan, Union County and the City of La Grande must hold public hearings and adopt the CAMP into their comprehensive plans. The state also needs to jump through some hoops. Following actions by Union County and La Grande, the Oregon Transportation Commission will be asked to formally amend the Oregon Highway Plan to incorporate the US 30 CAMP. In January, both the Union County and La Grande planning commissions scheduled hearings, but continued them because some landowners in the study area indicated they had not been properly notified. The La Grande Planning Commission continued its hearing on the plan until March 28; Union County has not set a date for its next hearing. Primary partners in the US 30 CAMP are the City of La Grande, Union County, the Union County Economic Development Corporation and the Oregon Department of Transportation. David Evans and Associates Inc. and Cogan Owens Cogan LLC prepared the US 30 CAMP for the Oregon Department of Transportation. |
