Those pesky “bulb” curbs that are good for pedestrians in downtown Yachats but a headache for trucks and cars, may be getting trimmed back a few feet.
But don’t hold your breath as to when they might be rebuilt. But do hold onto your wallet for what it might cost.
Curbs that stick into the roadway at the tight intersection of West Second Street, U.S. Highway 101 and Beach Street have drawn complaints from drivers since the state and city of Yachats finished the highway project three years ago.
Intended to help improve downtown for people on foot, they have been a headache – especially at that intersection – for large trucks and the hundreds of vehicles each day trying to get to West Second Street, the Post Office, or C&K Market.
The Oregon Department of Transportation recently told Yachats officials that it could trim back the curbs along West Second Street – if the city wanted to pay for the work.
“This is to start the conversation,” city streets supervisor Rick McClung told the City Council in August. “I’d like to get this going.”
McClung showed some rough, initial drawings that would move curbs at Beach and Second back several feet that he felt would help turning radiuses for cars and trucks “a great deal.” But he said the intersection would need to be re-engineered to meet state and other requirements.
The bad news is that could cost the city $216,000, he estimated, after adding in engineering, permits, contingency and management.
Which made council members gasp.
“Why so much?” asked Councilor Jim Tooke.
Any grounds for going back to ODOT and making them fix the intersection, asked Councilor Max Glenn.
McClung and City Manager Shannon Beaucaire explained that in talking with ODOT officials and going back into the city’s contracts for the project, that the project was initiated and managed by the city and that the city’s engineers designed everything. It’s just at ODOT controlled it by having to approve everything, McClung said.
McClung said he wanted to see if the council wanted to slowly proceed, first getting the project on the city’s capital improvement plan for 2021 or 2022, and then seeing if there’s the money or interest in moving ahead.
The council voted 4-1 to have McClung keep working on ways to fix the curbs and eventually see if there was a way to pay for it. Councilor Leslie Vaaler voted no.
“The whole idea is to get it in the budget process for next year,” McClung said.