Funds significant safety improvements at the junction of US 26 and Highway 47, including the construction of an overpass that will eliminate the need for motorists to make left turns across highway speed traffic and reduce congestion and safety problems resulting from these left turns.  US 26 is a designated freight route and one of the major routes from the Portland metro region to the Oregon coast, and it carries heavy volumes of freight and passenger traffic, particularly on weekends when people are traveling to and from the coast.  As a result of regional growth and the development of a new state park (L. L. Stub Stewart State Park), the number of vehicles traveling through the Staley's Junction interchange at U.S. 26 and Highway 47 is expected to double by 2030.  These higher traffic volumes will make left turns to and from Highway 47 difficult and unsafe, particularly on weekends when the volume of traffic to Stub Stewart State Park and the coast will be high. As a result, improvements to the U.S. 26/Highway 47 interchange will be required to safely accommodate the additional traffic.

Amount Requested: $11,500,000

Address: 355 Capitol Street NE, Room 135, Salem, OR  97301