The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider expanding a contract with the state to widen both sides of Northeast Hayesville Drive in east Salem.
The construction project is also intended to build bike lanes and sidewalks on the road between northeast Portland Road and Northeast Fuhrer Street.
Commissioners will consider adding $3.4 million to a contract with the state Department of Transportation for the construction, which is already underway.
Construction costs have significantly increased over the past three years due to inflation, which resulted in the Hayesville construction bid coming in $2.3 million over the engineer’s estimate, according to the agenda item.
The proposed new funding would include $2 million to help offset cost increases provided by the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study, the metropolitan organization responsible for planning transportation improvement investments throughout the region.
The new contract would total about $10.5 million, with $8.5 million paid for by federal funding and the county covering the rest.
Commissioners will also consider a $318,000 agreement with the state transportation department to evaluate existing and future county road conditions. Federal funding would pay for about $280,000 of the cost, with the county covering the rest.
The county would then create a list of potential projects to prioritize “based on the current and future safety, capacity, mobility, and accessibility deficiencies of the county’s transportation system,” according to the agenda item.
The board will consider authorizing the Marion County Parks Department to apply for a state grant for development at Parkdale Park in Hayesville, and signing a letter of support.
In east Salem, where the natural green space and park amenities are underdeveloped, the Hayesville neighborhood is seeing “rapid growth” with several large housing developments currently underway in the area, according to the agenda item. But Parkdale Park hasn’t seen any major development since 1962.
The application seeks to add more outdoor green space, improve stormwater infrastructure and add “educational opportunities for children to learn about wetlands and nature through interactive play and interpretive features,” according to the agenda.
Commissioners will consider approving a proclamation designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Marion County.
They will also consider changes to Marion County’s urban and rural zone codes.
Meeting details: The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
