Transportation Advisory Committee (TrAC)
Formerly known as the Roads Advisory Committee (RAC), the Transportation Advisory Committee (TrAC) acts as a forum for public input on Lane County's transportation system and serves as a liaison group in representing transportation concerns of the community to the Board of County Commissioners. The committee changed its name in 2016 (from the RAC to the TrAC) to reflect a broader, multi-modal, and programmatic approach to Lane County's transportation system.
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Construction of the community-preferred alternative that was developed in 2014 is now possible, thanks to additional funding provided by the Oregon Legislature, as part of the jurisdictional transfer of Territorial Highway to Lane County in March 2019.
The 5.71 miles of Territorial Highway located between Gillespie Corners (milepost 32.06) and the town of Lorane (milepost 37.37) will be reconstructed, beginning in 2020 and phased over several years through 2024, to include:
- Widening the road to provide 6-foot shoulders and two 11-foot vehicle travel lanes
- Softening 4 curves to improve access and sight distance
- Replacing culverts and raising and widening bridges to address deficient waterway crossings
- Stabilizing the slide at Stony Point through roadway realignment
Lane County Transportation Planning will be holding a public information meeting on June 20th to provide an overview of the project, from the community planning process that began in 2014 to the upcoming construction schedule. Staff will be available to provide information and answer questions. A flier of the upcoming meeting to share is attached.
If you are unable to attend the meeting and have questions about the project, please feel free to contact Becky Taylor, Senior Transportation Planner, 541-682-6932, Becky.Taylor@co.lane.or.us.
Territorial Highway
Lane County is proud to assume ownership of Territorial Highway. For years, the community has rallied around roadway improvement needs, supporting Lane County's pursuit of design and construction funding. House Bill 2017, Keep Oregon Moving, included a provision to transfer Territorial Highway from Oregon Department of Transportation to Lane County and allocated some one-time funding to support needed improvements and maintenance. The transfer will occur in phases over several years. Lane County has committed a significant portion of the funding to improving the segment of Territorial Highway located between Gillespie Corners and the town of Lorane. Lane County is also working with the City of Veneta to improve walking and biking on Territorial Highway between the City and Elmira.
Territorial Highway
For several years, Lane County has been working with the community and ODOT to improve the safety of these 5.71 miles of Territorial Highway. In April 2014, Lane County applied for $17.5 million of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) funds. Although that grant was not awarded, the application process built momentum. Later that same year, Lane County applied for and successfully secured $440,000 Transportation Community and System Preservation Program (TCSP) funds for a planning process to involve the community and develop a preferred design solution. The conclusions of the planning process are documented in the 2016 Technical Report. The design needs to be completed with additional geotechnical investigation.
