The orange line shows the Albany end of the planned Albany-Corvallis “multi-use path.”
Planned and talked about for more than 20 years, the proposed Albany-Corvallis bikeway is still in the works, but don’t expect its completion any time soon or, depending on your age, before you die.
This became apparent from an update delivered at a joint meeting Tuesday of the Albany City Council and the Benton County Board of Commissioners at Albany City Hall.
Benton County Public Works Director Gary Stockhoff briefed the meeting on the status of different sections of the 10-mile path, on which the county has been working along with ODOT.
Officially it’s called the Corvallis-Albany Multi-Use Path, and it is intended to provide a separate route for non-motorized transportation along the Albany-Corvallis Highway.
The Albany segment is supposed to run from the end of Hickory Street along the south side of the railroad tracks to Rainwater Lane, then south on Rainwater to Highway 20 and then west to Scenic Drive.
The current plan, indicated by the white dotted line on the map above, shows the path continuing in the direction of Corvallis on the south side of the highway. This implies that a pedestrian and bicycle bridge will be needed to cross the highway from the north to the south side.
Funding and building the bridge is just one obstacle. Another is that land owners from Hickory to Rainwater are opposed to having a path running through their property.
ODOT is supposed to be working on acquiring the right-of-way. There was no word, though, on how that is coming along.
At the western end, Benton County may build a segment of the path between Pilkington and Merloy avenues in Corvallis in 2024 after ODOT completes adding a third lane to the highway there.
It’s the long middle section of the path, according to Stockhoff, that may be the most difficult, expensive and complicated to accomplish. But ODOT has set aside short sections of space for the path in its current projects to improve the highway junctions at Granger Road and Independence Highway.
Why all this laborious and slow-moving effort for a special path?
You don’t actually need a separate path to ride a bike from Albany to Corvallis and back. Riding on the shoulders of Highway 20, though, requires a fairly high tolerance for risk. (hh)
It no longer matters when this small green project will be completed.
A bikeway is insignificant because we’ve reached the tipping point that will now usher in irreversible global warming.
According to expert Greta Thunberg we now have to face our own death sentence.
We’re all doomed. Have a nice day.
Gordon, Hi. You do not know now close to actual you are.
Just look at TEXAS. LOL
Actually the little libbiot said the world would END in 5 years June 18, 2018……STILL HERE! Her and Gore are FLYING in private jets to LIE to people……..what’s hysterical PEOPLE BELIEVE THEM
HaHaHaHa
They need to say the homeless people need it. The city will take what ever they want from anyone that opposes it and doesn’t want their land taken away. Wonder how much funds they would get for that? It still would take 20 more years and they would use the money for something else. Probably paying the wages of the public officials planning it. Whoever said talk was cheap didn’t work for the city government. But, I forgot it is ODOT, not the city of Albany, My bad!
Project was half baked from the start. The initial plan called for the use of railroad right of way. All the while the railroad told the proponents they were not interested.
Only government has the power to forcibly take private property for “public” use through eminent domain and condemnation.
Only government has the power to determine that a use is “public”. We can expect their interpretation to be quite broad.
A core principle most of us used to share was that individuals are sovereign and should not be forced to sacrifice themselves or their property for what government asserts is for the benefit of all.
I hope the private property owners are politically well connected.
If the owners are unwilling to sell and are politically weak, they will have to contend with the cult of an omnipotent government.
All in the name of a bikeway that, to paraphrase you, is not actually needed.
As Lee Corso would say, not so fast my friend.
ORS 35 states the necessity for taking private property must be declared by the public condemner via ordinance or resolution, a democratic process.
The declaration must include the necessity and public purpose for which the private property is required.
Is there any doubt that, in spite of Hasso’s declaration of no need, government will supply a sufficient statement of need and purpose that meets the public-use standard?
If the private property owners file suit, there is no doubt an Oregon judge will decide in the government’s favor.
The taking of private property is probably the lowest hurdle government needs to finish this contest.
Albany city government would kick out their own grandmother to live on the street if they have funding to spend and want free land. Sacrificing for the benefit of all only includes the people who cannot fight back.
Nah, just scrap the current “plan” and put it along the east side (Albany side) of the river from what will be new Van Buren bridge, then along the water’s edge until it’s close to Riverside, then run around the bend and up until Bowers Rock Park then east until Bryan Way.
Lots of rural area there for no contact with vehicles and plenty of space for random homeless camps.
Can’t wait for this to be built. It’s going to be great to have a safe bike way between the two cities.
I think Greta at least changed her time line for the Earths ending so we might have time to finish the path. Anyway, working on it now won’t hurt much more than what mankind has already done.
I have a solution to get the path on to the north side of the tracks. Make the path go under the bridge over the Frazier ditch. Seems like there would be enough room. The ditch never seems to have much water flowing. The small creeks that feed it never have much volume except for some extremes like the 96 flood and then people don’t need to be riding around anyway. Just a thought.
Why bother building a ten mile long homeless camp when we’ve already sacrificed our local parks? They’ve already have a place to SCREAM their heads off all night long, it’s called Kinder Park. Hell, we didn’t even have to buy a fire extinguisher for that dump.