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.
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