2 *2» Wednesday, Nov.7,2012
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P R IN T : News
Joshua Dillen The Clackamas Print
Kurt Schrader’s Policy Adviser Lynn Peterson, U.S. Congressman Schrader, Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette, Oregon City Mayor Doug McNeely and State
Representative Dave Hunt participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony that marks the opening o f the Highway 213 Jughandle project on Oct. 24. Drivers on the
busy stretch o f road south o f Interstate 205 can no longer make a left turn onto Clackamas River Drive or Washington Street from the highway.
PRINT
Traffic goes
round and round
Chris Morrow
The Clackamas Print
Local commuters have no
choice but to put their rubber to
ic , v g l
s in c e
c o n s tru c tio n
on
the Highway 213 Jughandle
Project began in the spring of
2011, students, staff and other
drivers have dealt with major
changes on the busy road. The
drive to Clackamas Community
College comes with new liead-
aches these days but relief may
be just around the comer, as the
project’s estimated completion in
the spring of 2013 nears.
The project is paid for with
$22 million in binding from
the 2009 Oregon Jobs and
Transportation Act, as well as
$2.3 million from Oregon City
and another $2.5 million in fed
eral funds. According to Oregon
City’s website, thejughandlepro-
ject.com, the aim is to reduce
congestion, enhance safety and
increase capacity to accommo
date the current traffic demands
and future growth.
“If you come in from Estacada
on Springwater Road, that turns
into River Road or whatever,
you can’t just go across to Home
Depot anymore. You have to go
ihiiì wrirri
lo o p ,” said O abbi N em ken, a stu
dent at CCC who uses Highway
213. “I don’t even know how to
do that loop.”
Confusion over how to navi
gate the roundabout portion
o f the jughandle has become
a problem for many drivers.
Commuters who use the inter
section of Washington Street and
Clackamas River Drive at the
highway can no longer make a
left turn from either direction
from the highway to either of
these roads. The layout of the
new roadway forces a vehicle to
make a right turn and navigate to
a roundabout that funnels traffic
in the appropriate direction, as
long as a driver knows how to
navigate the roundabout.
The roundabout and divider
may cause agitation for people
who are new to the idea. But it
costs less to maintain than the
traffic lights at signalized inter
sections aftd have been proven to
have greater safety benefits over
traditional intersections accord
ing to the website.
id p m
r n iin d u h n iit
fir g t
made its way stateside in 1990,
in Las Vegas, Nev. In the 22 years
since then, the number of round
abouts in the U.S. has exceeded
3,000. While they are common
in other parts of the world, most
American drivers still only have
a tertiary understanding of how
to navigate a roundabout.
“The first couple of times that
I used the jughandle part, I was
in the wrong lane for what I
wanted to do and I didn’t have
enough time to make it,” said
Tom Barrett, a chemistry instruc
tor at the college.
The first thing to know is that
traffic in the roundabout moves
counterclockwise around the cen
tral concrete circle, and unlike
its larger high speed cousin, the
traffic circle or ‘rotary,’ drivers
are meant to reduce speed as they
Staff
The C/ac/ramas Print aims to
report the news in an honest,
unbiased and professional
manner. Content published in
The Print is not screened or
subject to censorship
Email comments,
concerns or tips to
approach the roundabout, wait
for a safe gap before entering,
yield to drivers who are already
in the roundabout as well as any
pedestrians who may be crossing
it and use your right turn signal
upon exiting the roundabout.
..—■„..Some.,.. . . u J ti v e cs,......lj ke— Ric
Jenkerson, resident assessment
specialist, are already adapting.
“I’ve gone down to get some
products at Home Depot and
stuff and it adds maybe a minute
to your commute to get there.
It’s „ actually nice, you just go
under and do a little turn around
there and go through, it actually
keeps the flow pretty well,” said
Jenkerson. “It’s very European.
I like it. It makes sense because
you don’t have to stop.”
While confusion and frustra
tion may be the sentiment of
some drivers on this changing
road, at least one sees the posi
tive side of all the construction.
However this massive highway
project is viewed, it is here to
stay. Its completion is imminent
and the traffic surely is not going
to stop.
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Oct. 18 - A misdeneanor theft
was reported at the bus stop
some time between the hours of
8 a.m. and 7 p.m.
WRITERS At
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Breanna Craine
Hannah Duckworth
Kelli Luke
Heather Mills
Chris Morrow
Taylor Oster
Oct. 26 - Unautorized use of a
motor vehicle was reported.
Oct. 29 - Tools and other
equipment were reported stolen
from the Barlow tool room.
The .Campus Safety Patrol Jeep
was stolen and subsequently
recovered.
Construction continues on Highway 213 behind Clackamas Community College. The Jughandle project
has been going on since the spring o f 2011.
PRODUCTIOM
ASSISTANTS
Robert Crombie
•MandieGavitt
Jonah Hannett
Caitian Honer
Janae Horsley
(Nov. 3 - Graffiti was reported
in the Rook men’s bathroom.
Kim Irving
Kathleen Karpal
Sierra Smith
Shaylyn Struna
Lucas Watson
1
Correction:
A story in the Oct. 25 issue of The Clackamas Print incorrectly reported the
source of funding for a track improvement. The funds came from a grant from
the Innovation Grant.
Nov. 5- Barlow 233 and 226
were broken into and burglar
ized.
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