News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The "Y" intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 242 at the west end of Sisters has been a thorn in the side of motorists and traffic planners for years.
Now, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has budgeted $540,000 to decommission that intersection.
"What we propose to do is make Hood (Avenue) our new connection," ODOT spokeswoman Stephanie Popp told audience members at a sparsely-attended public meeting on Wednesday, July 31.
ODOT's preferred plan is to upgrade Hood Avenue between Highway 20 and Highway 242 and construct a right in/right out access to 242 west of the existing "Y."
Traffic will no longer be able to turn up Highway 242 from westbound Cascade Avenue.
The "decommissioned" portion of Highway 242 up to Hood Avenue will become a city street and parking will be allowed.
Jeff Taylor of Les Schwab Taylor Tire Center has some concerns about the impact of the proposed project on his business.
"I don't really like any of it, but I realize that there's a safety issue," he said.
Taylor hopes the Hood Avenue upgrade between Highways 242 and 20 will be adequate to allow motor homes and trucks to access his business.
Les Schwab also has access from Hood Avenue. Sisters Motor Lodge does not have Hood Avenue access. Drivers would have to take a round-about route to access the motor lodge from the old portion of Highway 242.
That's okay with Sisters Motor Lodge manager Don Zygutis. The motor lodge is a destination for travelers and does not depend on highway frontage to draw in business.
"Most of our business is repeat customers and word-of-mouth," Zygutis said.
The lodge manager actually believes getting traffic off that section of Highway 242 will be beneficial to the tranquillity of the establishment.
"There would even be some advantages to that, slow things down in front of us a bit," he said.
The project still must win approval from the U.S. Forest Service to widen Hood Avenue where it cuts across forest land.
ODOT plans to widen that stretch to two 12-foot lanes, a 14-foot median and two six-foot shoulders.
If approved, the project will go out for bid in April 2003 and construction would begin the following June.
According to ODOT, the intersection of Highways 20 and 242 is a high priority safety issue. There were nine recorded accidents between 1994 and 2000. The location of Sisters High School, the skewed geometry of the 20/242 intersection, and the number of left turns from Highway 20 onto Highway 242 contribute to the safety problem.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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