Boulevard Study From Arterial to Asset - Examining the Role of the Multiway Boulevard in Coordinated Transportation and Land Use Planning

摘要

As citizens of the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area consider options for meeting the residential needs of the next generation,they need look no further than their own transportation corridors. Arterials like West 11th Frenklin Boulevard, and East Main Street can be converted into multiway boulevards that can act as magnets for new residential and commercial development in the core of town. These boulevards can accommodate through and local traffic, public transit, pedestrians, and infill residential and mixed-use development. However, given the current configuration of these arterials, residential developers rightly ignore these parts of town and opt to build at the edge of town. These existing arterials are eyesores with low-density auto-oriented strip development. Given the right public investment, private development will be attracted once again to these corridors, which can relieve pressure on the existing Urban Growth Boundary and reduce development on prime farmland or other sensitive lands. To identify the capacity and potential of West 11th Franklin Boulevard and East Main Street, research based design studies at the University of Oregon conducted an applied research project that examined the opportunities and constraints to converting auto-oriented five- and six-lane arterials into multiway boulevards with transit as a way of reducing congestion, improving pedestrian and automobile safety, and supporting more unified uses. The study is well aligned with the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium's theme of integrating land use and transportation planning as well as U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) strategic objectives focused on improving safety, enhancing mobility, and minimizing transportation related environmental impacts.