The city of Eugene is transforming a busy street that connects downtown to the University of Oregon.
The goal of the Broadway Paving and Sidewalks Project is to make East Broadway more pedestrian-friendly as it winds towards UO from downtown.
City transportation planner Reed Dunbar said they’re repaving the street and removing the third eastbound traffic lane between Patterson and Alder streets. They’ll also widen the sidewalk.
“When we’re done it’ll be a much more pleasant place to walk than it is now,” he said. “Right now, you’ve got three travel lanes going eastbound with a curbside sidewalk, meaning you’re inches away from traffic moving at 35 mph. And it’s one of the more uncomfortable sidewalks, I think, that we have in the entire city.”
Dunbar said studies show two lanes can accommodate traffic on that street.
"When two of the high rise apartment buildings were being constructed, they closed that same lane. And it was closed for quite a while,” he said. “It didn’t seem to impact traffic too much.”
He said they’ll also dedicate parking along the street.
“Those high-rise buildings get a lot of deliveries,” he said. “And so you’re going to have Amazon and FedEx and all sorts of things that are trying to find space to park right now.”
The next phase is to add street trees.
“Which will, over the next few years, start to make that street feel more pedestrian friendly, a little shaded,” he said. “And a little more of a defined edge, which hopefully will slow people down a bit too. And make it feel more like a neighborhood street and less like a highway.”
Dunbar said most of the work is taking place at night, so the project shouldn’t have a big impact on daytime commutes.
The first phase of the project from Patterson to Alder is expected to be complete by the end of the summer. Then Mill Street to Patterson is phase two. Dunbar hopes that will be complete by the end of 2025.
Funding comes from a voter-approved pavement bond and the Riverfront Urban Renewal District.
