North Hermiston Local Circulation Plan

The City of Hermiston is a growing town located in the northeast part of Oregon. In the early 2000s, Hermiston had a population of about 13,000 people. With more homes and schools under construction, the town expects to reach a population of 20,000 in the next decade. Hermiston is a small town, and with a growing population, traffic will increase, causing large amounts of congestion. The congestion will primarily be an issue during peak hours in the morning and afternoon. Most of the congestion occurs on Highway 395. Portland State University capstone students are responsible for designing different alternatives that the team will present to the city of Hermiston. The report will include CAD drawings, a cost estimate, and a construction schedule. The alternative designs will focus on easing congestion, providing better access for residents and commercial establishments, pedestrian and driver safety, and total construction time. During a site visit, the team looked for areas along Highway 395 where drivers could make an earlier turn that would ease up the turning lanes on W Theater Lane and Highway 207. Highway 207 had an issue with an existing business, so the team decided not to evaluate the street for a potential redesign. ODOT had already purchased as much right- of-way as possible in the intersection, but the existing business showed no interest in relocating. No more can be done unless the property is bought and demolished. At an early design stage, the City of Hermiston decided that designing bike lanes was not preferred due to the popularity of using automobiles to get around town. The team ultimately produced three designs that the City could look into, not including a no-build option. The alternatives include a new street layout from Highway 395 to W Theater Lane, a new street layout from Highway 395 to NE 4th Street, and an intersection redesign from W Theater Lane to Highway 395. The team met with stakeholders around the area, and all alternative designs were disclosed. The stakeholders approved of each one. Stakeholders described that congestion was noticeably becoming an issue and wanted a solution. Some stated it was nearly impossible to make a left turn onto Highway 395. Another issue was the safety of employees, as drivers would speed and cut through the parking lots to get around traffic. With stakeholders understanding that redevelopment will occur throughout the city, these problems will worsen if no initiative is taken. After a thorough analysis, the recommended solution to solve the central issue of congestion and safety is to create a new street layout. The new street layout will cut through the privately-owned property to connect Highway 395 to NE 4th Street. The new street layout connecting Highway 395 to NE 4th Street is the best alternative as it will provide the best solution to ease congestion on Highway 395. The new road would also provide better street access to nearby residential areas and discourage the public from entering businesses using their rear entrance. This design will not affect traffic flow but will require right-of-way acquisition from private parties. The City of Hermiston officials approved this design as it would better impact congestion while having a slightly better cost than other design alternatives. In addition to adding a new roadway, swales will be added for drainage, and sidewalks will be constructed for pedestrians. This layout will allow the City to incorporate a new signal at Highway 395.