Revised Plans for Cornelius Pass Road Improvement, May 2015
By Bruce Penney (with additional reporting by Catherine Dalziel)
The Cornelius Pass Road improvement project is on a budget roller coaster. This update summarizes project background, reviews current project status, and identifies remaining open issues.
Representatives of Multnomah County Road Services met with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on May 7th at the Skyline Grange, to update members on project status for the Cornelius Pass Road Safety Improvement Project (CPRSI). Mike Pullen, Public Outreach for Multnomah County reported that $8.5 million, almost 90% of the original budget, was reallocated last year by the Oregon Legislature and dispersed to other “hammer ready” projects in need of immediate funding.
Earlier this year, Multnomah County secured additional funds from ODOT for completion of the design work. Due to funding limitations, the signaled intersection at NW Skyline Blvd. and improvements at Sheltered Nook have been dropped from the project. A public open house is planned for later in 2015 to share the revised designs.
Project Background
Under the original budget, the county proposed spending so much on a Skyline roundabout that, even with a $9.5 million legislative appropriation, dangerous 8th Avenue curves and Tunnel/Switchback curves would have had no improvements at all. A Community Advisory Committee (CAC) reviewed current accident data and identified three priority areas together with a group of smaller improvements: 1. 8th Avenue curves, 2. Tunnel/Switchback curves, and 3. Traffic light at Skyline.
The original $9.5 million appropriation included $1 million for design and $8.5 million for construction. When funding was re-allocated to other projects, members of the legislative agreed to restore funding when Cornelius Pass Road was shovel-ready. However, this agreement never materialized and construction funding was eliminated. Now the project is re-starting with a reduced scope and smaller anticipated budget.
Project Status
Design work is proceeding, but there is no currently-appropriated construction budget. A reduced legislative appropriation of $4M is anticipated, which would fund projects at 8th Avenue and the Tunnel/Switchback curves, but not fund the more expensive Skyline interchange. Major changes at the Skyline interchange and improvements at Sheltered Nook have therefore been deleted. Design would continue through early 2017 with construction in late summer 2017.
Ranked in budget order, components of the April 2015 project scope are:
S Curves SC3 770,000
8th Ave 8thAVE3 490,000
Variable message signs OCST10 400,000
Boyd's Lower Driveway SC4 340,000
Barrier and Guardrail upgrades OCST6 300,000
Corridor Signage OCST1 270,000
Vehicle Pullouts OCST2 200,000
Reduce pavement drop offs OCST9 50,000
Kaiser Rd flashing beacon KR2 40,000
Curves South of Plainview PR1 30,000
Kaiser Rd Signage + clearing KR1 10,000
Construction Cost Sub-Total 2,900,000
Remaining Design Work 750,000
Right of Way 50,000
Construction Administration 290,000
Total 3,990,000
Open Issues
With much of the CAC’s original process assuming an $8.5 million construction budget, most discussions focused on the top three safety priorities (8th Avenue, Tunnel Curves, Skyline). Smaller budget items had relatively little discussion. Now, with the budget slashed and Skyline intersection improvements off the table, smaller items, such as the variable messaging sign and vehicle pullouts, may deserve more scrutiny.
At the May 7, 2015, project update meeting, a number of community members spoke in favor of improved guardrails. Citizens noted that the May 6 fatality accident was at an area with steep embankment, long dropoff, and absolutely no guardrail protection. Some CAC members expressed concern that combined $600,000 budgeted for variable messaging signs and poorly defined pullouts might yield greater safety benefits if spent on guardrails instead.
Although the county plans to proceed with sign and turnout design, CAC members requested that a commensurate parallel design effort evaluate guardrail options. CAC members also requested that results of these design efforts be presented for CAC review at a subsequent meeting. Anticipated budget appropriations will not fund CAC safety priorities and will not meet current or anticipated traffic safety requirements.
Ridge Runner July, '15
The Cornelius Pass Road improvement project is on a budget roller coaster. This update summarizes project background, reviews current project status, and identifies remaining open issues.
Representatives of Multnomah County Road Services met with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on May 7th at the Skyline Grange, to update members on project status for the Cornelius Pass Road Safety Improvement Project (CPRSI). Mike Pullen, Public Outreach for Multnomah County reported that $8.5 million, almost 90% of the original budget, was reallocated last year by the Oregon Legislature and dispersed to other “hammer ready” projects in need of immediate funding.
Earlier this year, Multnomah County secured additional funds from ODOT for completion of the design work. Due to funding limitations, the signaled intersection at NW Skyline Blvd. and improvements at Sheltered Nook have been dropped from the project. A public open house is planned for later in 2015 to share the revised designs.
Project Background
Under the original budget, the county proposed spending so much on a Skyline roundabout that, even with a $9.5 million legislative appropriation, dangerous 8th Avenue curves and Tunnel/Switchback curves would have had no improvements at all. A Community Advisory Committee (CAC) reviewed current accident data and identified three priority areas together with a group of smaller improvements: 1. 8th Avenue curves, 2. Tunnel/Switchback curves, and 3. Traffic light at Skyline.
The original $9.5 million appropriation included $1 million for design and $8.5 million for construction. When funding was re-allocated to other projects, members of the legislative agreed to restore funding when Cornelius Pass Road was shovel-ready. However, this agreement never materialized and construction funding was eliminated. Now the project is re-starting with a reduced scope and smaller anticipated budget.
Project Status
Design work is proceeding, but there is no currently-appropriated construction budget. A reduced legislative appropriation of $4M is anticipated, which would fund projects at 8th Avenue and the Tunnel/Switchback curves, but not fund the more expensive Skyline interchange. Major changes at the Skyline interchange and improvements at Sheltered Nook have therefore been deleted. Design would continue through early 2017 with construction in late summer 2017.
Ranked in budget order, components of the April 2015 project scope are:
S Curves SC3 770,000
8th Ave 8thAVE3 490,000
Variable message signs OCST10 400,000
Boyd's Lower Driveway SC4 340,000
Barrier and Guardrail upgrades OCST6 300,000
Corridor Signage OCST1 270,000
Vehicle Pullouts OCST2 200,000
Reduce pavement drop offs OCST9 50,000
Kaiser Rd flashing beacon KR2 40,000
Curves South of Plainview PR1 30,000
Kaiser Rd Signage + clearing KR1 10,000
Construction Cost Sub-Total 2,900,000
Remaining Design Work 750,000
Right of Way 50,000
Construction Administration 290,000
Total 3,990,000
Open Issues
With much of the CAC’s original process assuming an $8.5 million construction budget, most discussions focused on the top three safety priorities (8th Avenue, Tunnel Curves, Skyline). Smaller budget items had relatively little discussion. Now, with the budget slashed and Skyline intersection improvements off the table, smaller items, such as the variable messaging sign and vehicle pullouts, may deserve more scrutiny.
At the May 7, 2015, project update meeting, a number of community members spoke in favor of improved guardrails. Citizens noted that the May 6 fatality accident was at an area with steep embankment, long dropoff, and absolutely no guardrail protection. Some CAC members expressed concern that combined $600,000 budgeted for variable messaging signs and poorly defined pullouts might yield greater safety benefits if spent on guardrails instead.
Although the county plans to proceed with sign and turnout design, CAC members requested that a commensurate parallel design effort evaluate guardrail options. CAC members also requested that results of these design efforts be presented for CAC review at a subsequent meeting. Anticipated budget appropriations will not fund CAC safety priorities and will not meet current or anticipated traffic safety requirements.
Ridge Runner July, '15
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