Who wants State Street?

ODOT's safety problems at Highway 43 and McVey Avenue

Is Hwy. 43 and McVey Ave the most dangerous intersection in the city?  No.  According the city's Transportation System Plan, the most dangerous is the intersection of Boones Ferry Rd. and Kerr Parkway.   See chart at bottom of post - from the new LO TSP.

What would it take to fix the problem?  According to the article, other than making a (costly) left turn lane on 43, the next-best alternative is a (simple) 4-way stop using a flashing red traffic signal.  

If the city takes over control of State St., how could it do a better job than the state to solve the problem?  It can't.  Any agency can contract for road improvements - it just takes money to do them.  The last time I looked, the city was falling behind on its own roadway maintenance and improvement projects.  The city has about 20 (?) bridges that are aging and need attention, plus old sewer and water lines, and more.  Even if the state funded initial improvements (how much does a flashing red light and new striping cost?), the city would have ongoing responsibility for the upkeep and operations of the road forever.  The Metro guy forgot to say that.  By not taking on responsibility for State St., the city could better take care of other problem interepsections and road maintenance. 

There is a simple solution for the State St. and McVey Ave. intersection here.  Who is responsible?   Hmm.  A signal, and the state.  What do you think is the best course for the taxpayers of Lake Oswego?  

There are other critical issues involving State St. the article did not address.  Metro is pushing for local jurisdictions to take control of state-owned corridors that run through towns in order to increase the density of development abutting the roadways.  If cities did not have to comply with state standards for State Street functionality (congestion), the streets could become - intentionally - much more congested with intensified mixed-use development in downtown and Foothills.

In 2012 the city applied for a MMA (Multimodal Mixed Use Area).  MMAs give Oregon cities the "flexibility" to abandon state road standards in favor of increased density.  (See earlier blog post on what an MMA is.)   In 2013, the new City Council rejected the MMA in favor of more efficient traffic flow, and directed staff to withdraw it.  For now, LO must follow state highway operational standards.

Is city control of Hwy. 43 for safely reasons a red herring for development, a convenient way for the state to shift cost burdens to the city, or both?  

A dangerous illusion
As accidents continue to pile up on Highway 43 at McVey Avenue, officials focus on who owns the road and who's actually responsible for fixing it

Lake Oswego Review, February 26, 2015 By

Excerpts:
“Northbound drivers making a left turn onto McVey pull into the path of the oncoming cars,” Howard says. “I do not understand why the city has not made changes to the traffic lights at this dangerous intersection."

“The notion is that there are roads that belong to the state, but the state doesn’t care about them, and they ought to be in the ownership of the local government,” says Andy Cotugno, a senior policy advisor with Metro. “But the local government doesn’t have initiative to take them because (ODOT) has deferred improvement for so many years. There are lots of places across the state where there’s this stalemate.

“There’s a barrier to making the transfer” Cotugno explains, “because why would you want to take on additional financial responsibility when you can’t afford what you’ve already got?”

City officials agree. As Highway 43 heads south from the beleaguered McVey Avenue intersection, it crosses a bridge over Oswego Creek — an impressive feat of 1920s engineering, to be sure, but also a stretch of road sure to weigh heavily on the city’s budget should Lake Oswego ever decide to take full responsibility for this particular orphan highway.

From the Lake Oswego TSP - Technical Analysis Appendices