S moke S ignals
MAY 1, 2019
13
erns with road and truck traffic’
A truck drives over a repaired pothole on Grand Ronde Road on Monday, April 22. Heavy truck traffic is taking a toll
on the road, which was rebuilt a little more than a decade ago.
For those residents who don’t or
can’t drive, various public transpor-
tation services, both fixed route and
dial-a-ride, are available to Grand
Ronde residents from the Lincoln,
Tillamook and Yamhill County
transit district services, and are
incorporated into the transporta-
tion plan.
In addition to the short-term
road improvements, there are also
mid- and long-range projects under
consideration.
Mid-range projects include a
Grand Ronde Road overlay, High-
way 22 realignment at Kissing
Rock, extending Tyee Road east,
upgrading Hubert Road and cre-
ating new Spirit Mountain Casino
access roads and an RV park road.
Long-range projects include ex-
tending Andy Riggs Road and
McPherson Road West, upgrading
North and South streets, and wid-
ening Coast Creek Road.
State considering
highway widening
The state of Oregon also is work-
ing on projects through 2021 that
affect the Tribe’s transportation
planning during the next 20 years.
These include conducting an up-
dated environmental assessment,
preliminary engineering and pur-
chasing right-of-way at Highway
18 from Fort Hill Road to just past
Spirit Mountain Casino, approxi-
mately a 2-mile span. The long-
term plan is to install a barrier
between the east and westbound
lanes, and widen the highway
in that span to four lanes. Addi-
tionally, an interchange, similar
to what is seen at Fort Hill Road,
is proposed for where highways
18 and 22 meet near Spirit
Mountain Casino and Valley
Junction.
“There is a big problem with
congestion and wait times
there,” says Oregon Department
of Transportation Project Man-
ager Bill Ness. “Hopefully the
project will address a majority
of those issues.”
Construction projects to widen
and improve road access are only
one part of the puzzle. The other
piece is implementing the safety
measures outlined in the Long
Range plan. Increased traffic, com-
bined with more Tribal members
living in Grand Ronde could spell
disaster for pedestrians trying to
cross Grand Ronde Road from hous-
ing to access Tribal government
services.
Grand Ronde Tribal Police Chief
Jake McKnight feels the number
one priority is reducing the speed
limit.
“It needs to be slower through
Grand Ronde Road,” McKnight
says. “Back when there was an
elementary school where Chachalu
(museum) was, the speed limit was
20 miles per hour. I believe it was
much safer that way, and that was
with less people out and about then
there are now.”
Many truck drivers use Grand
Ronde Road to access Highway 18
because of the difficulty navigating
Highway 22 near the Kissing Rock
curves and the challenges with be-
ing able to turn left on to Highway
18 near the casino.
“Having the trucks on Grand
Ronde Road destroys it, and people
end up getting impatient with the
traffic and take risks,” he says.
McKnight notes that since his
officers have become more of a
presence on Highway 18 near Spirit
Mountain Casino, drivers are pay-
ing closer attention to the 45-mph
speed limit.
“The law enforcement presence
there has been very helpful,” he
says. “Traffic will always be there
coming to and from the coast. It’s
been that way as long as I can
remember. … Impatience from
drivers is the biggest problem out
there on the weekends.”
Mercier says that one of the big-
gest hurdles to road improvements
is being limited as to what can be
done quickly.
“Projects such as pedestrian
overpasses are very expensive and
there is a lot of permitting, environ-
mental clearances and accessibility
issues,” he says.
Encouraging Tribal members to
return home will increase the need
for housing, but the infrastructure
should be in place first to ensure
safety, he adds.
“We are talking about creating a
development for home ownership
opportunities, but we need to put
the transportation infrastructure
in first,” Mercier says.
‘A de facto barrier’
Planning Director Rick George,
who has been instrumental in
crafting the Tribe’s updated Stra-
tegic Plan, said that transportation
falls within the goal of building,
expanding and invigorating the
community in different ways.
“There is an overarching situa-
tion that Grand Ronde isn’t thought
of by many people (in planning) as
a community,” he says. “It’s unin-
corporated and there hasn’t been
much direction on what it is or
what it will become. So, when you
think of transportation connecting
to community, start with what is
that community now and what will
it be. Going with the Tribe’s vision,
Grand Ronde will be a more pros-
perous, a more diverse and a more
vibrant small town.”
A key part of transportation in a
community is having safe streets
that connect pedestrians to ser-
vices, George says.
“Grand Ronde Road is one of those
thoroughfares that needs to be looked
at,” he says. “We need connection of
the east side where housing is locat-
ed, and the west side, which includes
the Elders Activity Center, Elder
housing and all of our government
campus activities. Right now, the
road serves as a de facto barrier.
People are driving at high speeds and
there are lots of large trucks. It’s just
not a peaceful, safe street now and
needs to be looked at.”
George says transportation is
as new as community is to Grand
Ronde in a planning capacity.
“We’ve shaped the transportation
plan to adequately capture that,” he
says. “Between transportation and
the community development plan,
we are hoping to get a lot of Tribal
member and community feedback.”
The Strategic Plan looks at the
“big picture” planning goal of want-
ing to grow Grand Ronde by de-
veloping the economy, offering
services and bringing in new hous-
ing to attract Tribal members.
“The actual infrastructure to sup-
port this comes in a more detailed,
planning process that is included
in the transportation and transit
plans,” George says. “It is more
detail focused. … Housing devel-
opments drive things like walking
trails, roads and streetlights.”
And the most critical needs for
infrastructure to get more Tribal
members to come home?
“Three things come to mind that
relate to transportation,” George
says. “One is housing diversity.
Provide opportunities you don’t
have now. The second is services.
If you talk to Tribal members and
community members, services come
up quickly. Whether it’s a gro-
cery store, salon or
car wash, services
across the board are
needed for a thriv-
ing community. The
third is education
quality. There are
a number of Tribal
members concerned
about the quality of
the education. All of
those things touch
on transportation.”
A car waits to merge
onto Highway 18
while turning from
Hebo Road on
Tuesday, April 2.