Lane County is developing a design concept for Blue River Drive that reflects community preferences. Creating a solid vision for Blue River Drive is needed to provide better direction for people redeveloping in the area. A community supported plan would also help Lane County pursue grant funding for eventually constructing the desired roadway.

Thanks to community feedback on the design options for Blue River Drive, the design team has developed designs they believe meet the identified needs. The Oregon Solutions McKenzie Rebuilds Blue River Work Group reviewed and endorsed the designs.
 
The key design features are:

• West of downtown – a multi-use path for walking and biking separated from the road with a vegetated swale

• Downtown – sidewalks on both sides of the street, parallel parking on both sides of the street for two blocks, customized parking pocket in the northernmost block, and enhanced crosswalks

View the full report.

View the comments received.
View the downtown design.
View the west design.

Since the design concept was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on April 30, 2024, Lane County staff have been working to find funding to construct the project.

To further improve community connectivity and the ability to secure state and federal transportation funding for implementation, a new transportation planning effort is underway:

Blue River Bridge – Bike/Ped/Emergency Access Study

1. Background: The Blue River Drive Design Concept did not propose any changes to the existing bridge crossing Blue River. Community feedback indicated a strong desire to protect the existing bridge in its current, historical condition. It has sidewalks but is very narrow and is not seismically sound. The project only recommended providing additional warning signage.

2. New Effort Underway:  Lane County will be working once again with the community to determine the feasibility of constructing a separated bike/ped bridge that would support emergency vehicles and withstand an earthquake. The study will explore two alignment options and develop design concepts. The goal will be to develop a community-preferred design concept that completes the gap in bike/ped connectivity from the school to the downtown and improves the overall success of the Blue River Drive Design Concept being awarded state/federal grant funding.

3. How to Get Involved / Timeline:  Community input opportunities are planned for spring 2025. Data gathering is currently underway. Final approval of the design concept by the Board of County Commissioners is planned for summer 2025. Please feel free to contact Senior Transportation Planner Becky Taylor (becky.taylor@lanecountyor.gov) with any initial thoughts or questions.

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The Lane County Board of Commissioners also approved code amendments to recognize the existing right-of-way widths of all roads in downtown Blue River in April 2023, eliminating wider setback requirements. The amendments were approved with an emergency clause for immediate effectiveness. The action supports rebuilding in Blue River, especially the downtown portion that has smaller lot sizes.