Project Update

City Commission Adoption

The City of Oregon City has spent the past year looking at ways to improve walking and biking access along McLoughlin Blvd/99E. This project focused on finding the best conceptual approach for the final Phase 3 of the McLoughlin Blvd Enhancement Plan, which began in 2005. Phases 1 and 2 have already been completed. The Planning Commission recommended the final plan to the City Commission on October 28, 2024.

On November 20, 2024, the City Commission approved the first reading of Ordinance 24-1012, followed by a second reading on December 4, 2024.This ordinance adopts the proposed alignment as the preferred alternative in the City's Transportation System Plan.

Thank you to all who participated in the conceptual design process for your comments, questions, and suggestions – they were all very helpful in better understanding the community’s vision for this area!

Upcoming Grant Applications

Staff submitted two Metro Regional Flexible Funds Allocation (RFFA) grant applications to fund the next phase of the design and construction work. The city is looking to split up the grant request: 

RFFA Step 1a (bond funded projects) - Non-viaduct streetscape design and construction. 

RFFA Step 2 - Furthering the design of the long span and streetscape.

These grants are critical to funding the next steps of this design work/ additional public outreach on the long span and completing streetscape construction improvement. More importantly these grants do not open again for another three (3) years! The current design process was supported by the same funds. 

Public comment opportunities will be available in March- April 2025 for both applications.

Design Process Updates

After the December virtual open house, the design team began the hard work of ground-truthing the most promising shared-use path alignments along McLoughlin Blvd. What they found was an overlapping of complexity at the existing river's edge. This was not a complete surprise, but it definitely necessitates a nonstandard approach to designing a solution.

None of the designs from the open house were able to move forward due to the complexity of the area. At the April 9 City Commission Worksession, the design team outlined two promising alternatives that met the City's Commission goals: 1. Conventional Viaduct + 2 Signature Spans and  2. Long Span. While both options provide a path along the river, only the long-span approach significantly minimized foundation excavation, reduced/removed in-water work, and provided a more compatible design with the historic arch bridge.

If there is no desire to move forward on a riverside shared-use path, the most likely approach will be to design streetscape improvements (trees, landscaping, sidewalks) on the non-viaduct portions of 99E and use wayfinding to send bicycles and pedestrians over to Main Street. Bicycles would share the road via painted sharrows.

At the May 15 City Commission work session, the Commission reviewed the work date, including public comments. They directed staff and the consultant team to continue their technical investigations on the long-span approach, begin the design work for streetscape improvements, and return in August for an update.

Long Span

August 13, 2024, City Commission work session- Long Span Technical Review and Streetscape Design Update.

Long Span Approach-Technical Update. 

The design team has been continuing its technical investigations on the long spam approach- including a better understanding of future permitting requirements and the impact the structure would have on the shoreline and adjacent historic resources such as the arch bridge. At a conceptual level, this work looks to see if there are any fatal flaws in the approach that would not allow the project to be permitted. Site-specific impacts and permit requirements with entities such as the Army Corps of Engineers, Marine Board, and Division of State Lands depend on construction-level components that are not part of the scope of this phase. So far, the design team has found this approach to be constructible and conceptually permitable, which is a very important step in the design process.  They're having additional conversations with these agencies about opportunities and requirements for riparian shoreline improvements as well as the historic impact on the arch bridge and will have an update at the August 13 meeting.

McLoughlin Boulevard Street Enhancements Design Elements

There is an opportunity to enhance the streetscape along McLoughlin Boulevard to complement the recommended shared-use path alternative, calm vehicular speeds along McLoughlin Boulevard, green the corridor, and better integrate downtown Oregon City to the waterfront. This can be achieved by incorporating sidewalk, landscaping, and placemaking improvements to calm traffic and create a sense of place. The team is still working with ODOT on some outstanding technical issues but will provide an update on the work to date.

The project team will present options for a few key areas along the corridor. Due to the constrained nature of the corridor and the requirements of an ODOT facility, these areas cannot provide everything that we would prefer along the corridor. The areas where options will be presented include:  

• Historic Arch Bridge open space (linear area along McLoughlin Boulevard near the utility tower)
• Area under 7^th Street approach to Historic Arch Bridge
• The area along McLoughlin Boulevard on the inside of the "elbow."

The City Commission will be asked to review the options presented. The Commission does not need to decide on the best use of the space, only to determine if any of the options are unreasonable and should be removed from the plan. The final plan can adopt various options for a specific area (parking vs open space), and the city can wait to decide on the final configuration until the project moves to construction drawings, which would be part of a future grant project.

August 13, 2024 City Commission Direction

At the work session, the City Commission directed staff to continue the work needed to complete the conceptual study and prepare for its adoption into the Transportation System Plan (TSP) in the fall. The Commission chose to move forward with both open space and parking options in the three areas discussed at the meeting (along the viaduct, under the arch bridge, and inside the elbow). Adopting the concept into the TSP will also allow the city to apply for additional grants for the long-span and street improvements, separately or together.  Click on the work session presentation for more details.

Next Steps 

The City Commission directed the project team to work to complete the Conceptual Design Study. Once completed, the study will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Commission for adoption, beginning in Fall 2024. This adoption will include an amendment to the Transportation System Plan (TSP) of the conceptual design approach.

Planning Commission Hearing- GLUA 24-000023: LEG 24-00002
October 28, 2024, 7 PM (Commission Chambers at the Robert Libke Public Safety Building, 1234 Linn Avenue)

Visit the Public Hearings Notice Page for application information.

The first step in developing a long-range vision is adopting a plan to continue the conversation with our community stakeholders and regional partners. The conceptual plan will be added to the city’s transportation system plan this winter to allow staff to apply for additional grants. These grants will help further the design refinement process and potentially build a portion of the streetscape. This year's alternate analysis confirmed that a continuous connection north and south along with the Willamette River would require a separate structure along this portion of McLoughlin Blvd. 

Additionally, staff anticipates preparing a Metro Regional Flexible Funds Allocation (RFFA) grant application to fund the next phase of the design work. The request for projects is anticipated to open in September 2024, with an application deadline in November 2024 based on current information. Staff returned to the City Commission in September with a Resolution of Support for the grant application, outlining the requested grant funding and the scope of the work to be included in the grant application. This grant deadline is critical to funding the next steps of this design work and does not open again for another three (3) years. The current design process was supported by the same funds. 

Additional Public Outreach

Over the spring and summer, we focused on reviewing the technical aspects to determine if the long span was feasible to build and could comply with permitting regulations. This fall, our staff will reach out to the different groups and committees that have given input on the plan, provide an update on our progress, and gather any further feedback on the preferred alternative and streetscape enhancements. Please reach out to city staff if you would like to receive a presentation.