10A | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Sears
from A1
Object Removal project
began with a $150,000 Or-
egon Department of Trans-
portation (ODOT) grant as
part of the All Roads Trans-
portation Safety fund to re-
move fi xed objects on the
sides of Sears Road. The
decision to use the road,
according to offi cials, was
data-driven, based on crash
history and recommend-
ed by ODOT as part of a
cost-benefi t analysis when
distributing the grant.
At the Board of Com-
missioners meeting, Lane
County Traffi c Engineer
Steve Gallup presented
data that counted six crash-
es with fi xed objects be-
tween 2010 and 2016. One
of the crashes resulted in a
fatality and the other fi ve in
injuries.
As part of its goal to re-
duce fatal and severe-in-
jury collisions, the Lane
County Board of Commis-
sioners adopted a Trans-
portation Safety Action
Plan (TSAP) in 2017 to
identify and address the
greatest risks in the coun-
ty. In this approach, fi xed
objects are identifi ed as
risk factors when they are
within what is considered a
“clear zone,” an otherwise
unobstructed roadside area
that drivers may use to pull
to the side of the road or
safely navigate and return
from if they leave the road-
way.
To achieve this goal,
the Sears Road project
states the need to cut 61
trees from the road at the
cost of the grant amount,
$150,000.
During February’s pub-
lic testimony, however,
residents expressed dissat-
isfaction with the proposed
cutting of 61 trees along
the stretch, which in some
cases provide protection
from out-of-control vehi-
cles.
“I don’t need a car at 55
miles an hour that loses
control … come crashing
through my yard and hit-
ting one of my kids,” said
resident Jim Poetzl at the
public hearing.
In the same meeting,
South Lane County Fire
and Rescue Division Chief
Joe Raade spoke in his ca-
pacity as a fi rst responder.
“I had the unfortunate
experience of responding
to all six of those emergen-
cies up there,” he said.
On the fatality, Raade
said, “He was dead before
he left the road. I know that
fi rst-hand.”
Raade urged commis-
sioners to look elsewhere
for solutions.
“The accidents on our
road are not related to the
objects. They are related to
the speed,” he said.
Raade also pointed to
Mosby Creek Road and
London Road as needing
safety attention.
In a subsequent interview
with The Sentinel, Raade
explained his knowledge
as a fi rst responder to the
accidents cited by the proj-
ect report.
“All but one of those
involved intoxicants,” he
said.
According to Raade, re-
garding the fatality, an el-
derly passenger of the car
had experienced a heart
attack. His wife, who was
driving, was distracted
by the event and had a
low-impact crash with a
tree stump. No injuries
resulted from the crash,
but the passenger did not
survive his medical emer-
gency.
Community input at the
July 29 meeting raised
these concerns as well as
a litany of suggestions
which included refl ectors
on trees, curve warnings,
more law enforcement and
guard rails.
“We were able to iden-
tify a lot of alternatives,”
me and my son.”
Smith added that one
tree across the street from
his home is more than 100
feet tall.
“If it comes down, it’s
going through the middle
of the house. We’re dead,”
he said. “I mean, that’s a
concern for me.”
The formation of the
community input meeting
was done at the behest of
Lane County Commission-
er Heather Buch, who rep-
resents the district encom-
passing Sears Road. Buch
was hopeful that an agree-
ment could be reached with
the information gathered.
“We’ll be able to go back
and analyze all the infor-
mation they’ve provided
and see if there’s an alter-
DAMIEN SHERWOOD/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
County Engineer Peggy Keppler (left) meets with local residents in the Community nate combination of things
we might be able to do,”
Center July 29 to discuss solutions to safety concerns on Sears Road.
she said.
The presence of ODOT,
Taylor said. “The chal- ate from the data-driven what’s feasible.”
lenge is, I don’t know if we stipulations of the funding.
Though the room ap- Buch said, was a positive
can fund any of those alter-
Very few trees were peared mostly resistant to sign of community-gov-
natives.”
agreed upon as possible the removal of trees along ernment interchange.
“We had two people
While many of the sug- removals at the input meet- the road, resident Lowell
gestions can be explored ing. Should a consensus Smith, who has lived on from ODOT here this eve-
with other funding sourc- not be met, the grant may Sears Road for more than ning. That’s fantastic, so
es, little negotiation is left very likely be sent back to 45 years, was in favor of we knew that they were lis-
tening,” she said. “That’s
in the fi xed-object removal the state.
the idea.
grant, though the grantor
“We heard the potential
“It’s great,” he said. “I invaluable.”
Staff is scheduled to re-
has agreed to the addition for two trees to be removed think they got off on the
of centerline rumble strips. and [we need] clarity from side with strips and wid- port back to the Board of
Despite this allowance, ODOT about how many ening and stuff, but those County Commissioners on
it is yet unclear how many trees is enough,” said Tay- trees — if you drive down Aug. 27 where it may be
trees at minimum would lor. “Before we rule out the Sears Road in the middle determined if the project is
need to be cut to fall within ability to use the funding, and on the end toward Sag- still viable.
the grant’s parameters as I’m doing a little more in- inaw, it’s dangerous. I had
ODOT is reticent to devi- vestigation to determine a tree fall down in front of
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