BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
What has come to be called the "Lincoln Beach Parkway" is, in reality,
a section of the Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. Route 101). Construction of the
highway began in 1919 to ensure military preparedness. At that time, it was
called the Theodore Roosevelt Coast Military Highway. The current name was adopted
in 1931.
Running adjacent to the Pacific Coast for nearly 565 km (50 miles), this route
is one of the most scenic highways in the United States. Its elevation varies
from near sea level to cliffs 305 m (1,000 ft) above the ocean. The road passes
through a variety of urban, suburban, and rural landscapes.
Major Traffic Growth Expected
U.S. 101 serves local, regional, and tourist travel demands. Existing ADT volumes
within the central coastal region through Lincoln County range from a low of
approximately 5,000 vehicles per day at the southern county line to approximately
17,500 vehicles per day in the Lincoln City area. Year 2015 traffic projections
forecast these volumes to increase to approximately 11,700 vehicles per day
and 32,000 vehicles per day, respectively.
Improved Access vs. Community Impacts
A major conflict facing the entire Route 101 corridor is the need to provide
better access to resortoriented communities to enhance economic development
opportunities while balancing the impact of capacity improvements. This issue
was particularly acute in Lincoln Beach, a city of 10,000, where new residential
and resort developments, and access to them, contributed to increased congestion
levels and a high accident rate.
Initial Options
This project was initiated by the Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT) at the request of the Lincoln County Commissioners in early 1989.
Initially, only three actions were considered: (1) the donothing/nobuild
option of retaining the existing twolane undivided roadway with no access
control, (2) a threelane cross section with a continuous twoway median leftturn
lane, and (3) a fivelane cross section with a continuous twoway median leftturn
lane. When these three options were presented to the local community at
public meetings in connection with the environmental assessment process,
each option received an equal amount of support and opposition. The result
was that no consensus was reached on the appropriate action. |
![outline map of the US with Oregon in black and an arrow pointing to Lincoln County, OR](images/cs06WMF1.JPG) |
![photo: beach with Pacific Ocean to the left and a building in the distance](images/cs06WMF2.JPG) |
View of Pacific Ocean beyond. |
In 1992, jurisdictions along the highway approved the concept of a Pacific
Coast Scenic Parkway to "increase the aesthetic experience, assist in access
control, and develop community identity." These parkways were to deviate
from typical ODOT design concepts by providing a raised center median and limited
median breaks, while keeping direct access along both sides of the road.
Land Use Control: A Paramount Factor
An important point raised by the Lincoln County Council was the relationship
of the project's design features to the County's Master Plan, which was designed
to control strip development. The Lincoln Beach area is a lightly developed
3.2km (2mile) section of homes and small businesses that is in the path of urban
growth.
Before improvements.
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![photo of road before improvements; parking lot on right](images/cs06WMF3.JPG) |
Parkway Concept Adopted
Following the initial ODOT presentations of the parkway design concept, in
1988, the Lincoln County Commissioners sponsored a second public information
meeting. The meeting was well attended by corridor residents and local business
owners. As a result, the County Commissioners formally requested that the parkway
design concept be implemented.
Design was initiated shortly thereafter by ODOT staff, with final plans completed
in May 1990. Construction began in August 1990. Construction was complete and
the 3.2km (2mile) section was opened to traffic in July 1992.
As finally constructed, the Lincoln Beach Parkway has a basic fourlane mediandivided
cross section, with a curbandgutter closed drainage system and 1.2m (4ft) sidewalks
along both sides. The cross section consists of two, 3.6m (12ft) travel lanes
on either side of a typical 4.3m (14ft) raised, landscaped median. To accommodate
bicyclists, the pavement on either side of the median was originally designed
to include a 0.6m (2ft) left shoulder and a 1.8m to 2.4m (6ft to 8ft) right
shoulder. However, the left shoulder is currently striped as 1.2 m (4 ft) wide
and the right shoulder is typically 1.2 m to 1.8 m (4 ft to 6 ft) wide.
![photo of road with bike lane](images/cs06WMF4.JPG) |
Widened paved shoulders were provided for bicyclists. |
Motorist Survey
(1,535 Interviews)
|
![Three Pie Charts: click image for text description](images/cs06WMF5.JPG) |
Favorable Public Reaction
The reaction to the project by both local businesses and residents has been
favorable, except for several of the business owners who complain about restricted
access. Surveys of users of the facility conducted by Portland State University
for ODOT should an 82 percent favorable rating by auto drivers and a 78 percent
favorable rating by drivers of delivery and large trucks. Moreover, 77 percent
of auto drivers and 79 percent of truck drivers expressed the view that the
parkway is much safer than the previous twolane highway. Recent accident records
verify this attitude survey. The records show that the accident rate along this
section of parkway has been halved and is lower than on other threelane or fivelane
sections of U.S. Route 101 that have similar traffic volumes and development
density.
Turn lane improvements.
|
![photo: four lane road with turn lanes in a break in the median](images/cs06WMF6.JPG) |
ENVIRONMENTAL AND DESIGN ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS
The Lincoln Beach Parkway design required resolution of the types of issues
associated with the implementation of any highway improvement project in a developing
suburban area. Residences and businesses with direct access from both directions
along the old twolane highway now have access from only one side of a fourlane
divided highway. At one point, a concrete soundwall was built to reduce the
noise impact on residents of a trailer park, but the barrier also partially
obscures the view of the entrance to a craft shop.
ACTIONS TAKEN TO RESOLVE ISSUES
Access Controls
A complex issue addressed during design was the manner in which to ensure adequate
access to adjacent properties. Where possible, median breaks were provided at
existing public street intersections and these streets were repaved or reconstructed.
In a few instances, closely spaced streets were consolidated into a single crossing
point through the use of short sections of parallel connector street. The design
of median breaks was tailored to allow for easy movement by oversize recreational
vehicles and tour buses.
Emergency Vehicle Access
At street intersections where a median break could not be safely provided,
special accesscrossing concrete payers were installed in the landscaped median
to allow for fire and emergency vehicles to reach the areas. Raised pavement
markers along the mountable median curb identify these locations.
Special Turnaround Design
In recognition of the large number of recreational vehicles and tour buses
using the Route 101 corridor during the summer peak season, special turnarounds
designed to accommodate fullsize buses were provided at the center and at both
the northern and southern ends of this project.
Postal Service Provisions
An unanticipated benefit of the median construction resulted from the installation
of mailboxes on both sides of the highway. Previously, all mailboxes were located
on the northbound or east side of the twolane highway. Residents are now able
to walk or bicycle to get their mail. Many residents believe this action, combined
with sidewalks along both sides of the highway, has resulted in a more closely
knit community than formerly existed.
Community Enhancements
The extensive use of native lowlevel plantings in the parkway median and along
the perimeters of the roadway and sidewalks has led adjacent property owners
to invest in site landscaping and related improvements. Landscaping also helps
define the road edges in this area of frequent fog and 2.0 m (80 in) of annual
rainfall.
Lessening Noise Impact
Techniques to lessen physical and noise impact on adjacent properties
were important. These techniques involved constructing short sections
of retaining walls along the roadway edges to avoid side slope impacts
on homes. In addition, a soundwall that is 3.7 m (12 ft) high was constructed
for a distance of approximately 163 m (600 ft) adjacent to a mobilehome
park. Vinelike vegetation enhances the soundwalls.
The Issue of Overhead vs. Underground Utilities
Because this was a demonstration project, ODOT attempted to have overhead
utilities placed underground during highway construction. However, the
local public utility district declined to support such an option, citing
an estimated cost of approximately $1.2 million. ODOT subsequently obtained
$600,000 in State funds to pay for onehalf of the utility undergrounding
but still obtained no interest in participation by the public utility
district. As a result, half the project has underground utilities and
half has overhead lines. An unusual illustration of differing visual effects
exists over the relatively short length of the project.
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![photo: retaining wall and sidewalk](images/cs06WMF7.JPG) |
Shoulder Width Exception
The only formal design exception requested from FHWA by ODOT was a reduction
in the outside shoulder width from 3.0 m (10 ft) (the 1990 AASHTO Green Book
minimum requirement for such rural arterial highways) to 2.4 m (8 ft). The 1994
edition of the Green Book now allows for use of shoulders that are 2.4 m (8
ft) wide on such facilities.
Although not a formal design exception per se, this project does represent a
major variance from typical ODOT highway planning and design practice by providing
a raised median along a nonaccesscontrolled rural/suburban highway. Generally
in Oregon, medians are found only along full accesscontrolled freeway or expressway
facilities and urban boulevards.
LESSONS LEARNED
ODOT views the planning and design of the Lincoln Beach Parkway as a prototype
for similar highway improvements that can be implemented along the U.S. Route
101 corridor. The early involvement of residents and businesses, in addition
to local elected officials and traditional public agency representatives, is
now viewed as standard departmental procedure to better involve all affected
stakeholders. Documentation of the safety benefits associated with mediandivided
arterial facilities, in contrast to the traditional ODOT threelane and fivelane
urban crosssection design solutions, is an important result of this planning
and design effort.
The design treatments associated with the Lincoln Beach Parkway are viewed
as a model for resolving future traffic management problems throughout Oregon,
especially on U.S. 101. ODOT is now engaged in the second phase of the Coast
Highway Corridor Master Plan development, which is concerned with the definition
of more detailed access management plans and subarea planning and design studies,
including the consideration of a number of throughtraffic bypasses around congested
urban areas.
LINCOLN BEACH PARKWAY
AT A GLANCE
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Setting:
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Pacific Coast resort community, rural transition to suburban |
Length:
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3.29 km (2.04 miles) |
Traffic Volume:
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11,500 ADT (1992 count) |
Design Speed:
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73 kph (45 mph) |
Type of Road:
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Rural principal arterial; four-lane, median divided (part of an
Oregon Scenic Byway) |
Design Cost:
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Not available (in-house by Oregon DOT staff) |
Construction
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Cost: $4.8 million (including $600,000 for 1 mile [1.6 km] of underground
utilities) |
Key Design Features:
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Raised, landscaped median area (first use on a non- limited-access
rural highway in Oregon);
emergency vehicle median crossover points;
special turnarounds provided for buses and large RVs |
Debits:
|
Utilities placed underground on one-half of project;
limited separation of some existing homes and businesses from edge
of travelway due to restricted right-ol-way availability |
Similar Projects: |
Carson Street, Torrance, CA
One-Way Couplet, Carbondale, Il
West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA
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Contacts for Additional
Information: |
Mr. Donald Byard
Senior Transportation Planner
Transportation Development Branch
Oregon Department of Transportation
555 13th Street, NE
Salem, OR 97310
Tel: 503-986-4126 |
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