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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2020)
NEWS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2020 Hermiston lights up the night ODOT to add crossing on Southwest 11th Street in effort to improve safety By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR Pedestrians trying to cross Southwest 11th Street in Hermiston will be assisted by a planned sidewalk and a crosswalk with fl ashing lights between Orchard Ave- nue and Highland Avenue. The project is one of 43 in Oregon to receive fund- ing from the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation through the latest round of Safe Routes to School grants. Hermiston has seen mul- tiple pedestrian fatalities along the busy stretch of road, which is part of High- way 207. A Hermiston man was killed in a hit-and- run there in May 2020, and another Hermiston man was killed by a commercial gar- bage truck in the same area in 2015 while crossing the road in the middle of the block. Teresa Penninger, trans- portation planning manager for ODOT’s Region 5, said having no sidewalk on the side of the highway lead- ing to Hacienda West Apart- ments makes things diffi cult for pedestrians, including children who use that route to get to West Park Elemen- tary School one-half mile away, or Hermiston High School just beyond that point. “It basically leaves you no choice but to walk along a very narrow shoulder, or try to cross a busy highway with no crosswalk,” she said. Penninger said the fi rst phase of the project will be a crosswalk with fl ash- ing lights that pedestrians can activate before cross- ing, located between But- ter Creek Apartments and the area where a short path from Hacienda West Apart- ments connects to the high- way. The second phase will add a sidewalk along the west side of the highway. “It will defi nitely improve the safety of the pedestrian situation there,” she said. The crossing with fl ash- ing beacons is expected to be completed in 2021, and then Penninger said the side- walk will take a little longer to design and complete. She said once it is complete, the school district will help edu- cate parents and children in the area on proper use of the crossing. Often, Safe Routes to School grants go to cities to assist them in complet- ing projects, but because the street is part of Highway 207, Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan said ODOT has taken on design and construction of the project. He said the city’s appli- cation included letters of support from Mayor David Drotzmann, the Hermiston School District and the His- panic Advisory Committee. According to a news release from ODOT, the department awarded 43 of the 99 applications received this time, for a total of $28.3 million in projects designed to improve safety for chil- dren walking to school and other pedestrians. HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald A few small groups of people look as the lights go on on the Hermiston Christmas tree amidst the fog on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. The tree lighting event was livestreamed by the city of Hermiston due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings and events. Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald Above, Carolers perform at the city of Hermiston’s Christmas tree lighting event in downtown Hermiston on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. At left, Santa Claus enters Festival Street in Hermiston on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony. H A E WIT SK! F A S A IT PLAY AR YOUR M O T R WE MBE REME SPACE AND E LITTL Tiered drawings beginning at 9pm, pick a friend to win when you win! River $500 S T A E S T O H utes n i m 30 –10pm y r e SH ev rdays | 4 A C WIN s & Satu y Frida 9pm 9pm Friend wins up to $50 FreePlay! Vista $700 m 9:30 9 p :30pm Friend wins up to $75 FreePlay! VIP $1,000 Friend wins up to $100 FreePlay! 10pm To qualify for Hot Seats, players must be actively playing with Club Wild card properly inserted in slot machine at time of drawing. Increased Prize Amounts Sunday, December 27 J O I N U S F O R S O M E H O L I D AY C H E E R ! Christmas Dinner to Go! ORDER YOUR CHRISTMAS FEAST ONLINE TODAY & PICKUP CURBSIDE! Visit wildhorseresort.com to view menu & order. NEW YEAR’S EVE HOT SEATS Top Prize $2,021 – December 31 Due to health restrictions, Traditions is providing Take Out Service Only. Winners drawn every 30 minutes for cash or FreePlay starting at 11pm. At 2am, one lucky winner will take home $2,021 in CASH! DINING CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA • FUNPLEX 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216 • wildhorseresort.com. Owned and operated by CTUIR Management reserves all rights to alter, suspend or withdraw promotions/offers at any time. Gaga11.20 WH112036
