Salem seeks federal money for sidewalk improvements, new street crossings

Salem city leaders want to improve transportation for pedestrians and bicyclists in the neighborhood surrounding the Salem airport in the near future.

The Salem City Council recently approved applications to fund a handful of transportation projects around Salem, including one along the west side of the Salem airport. 

A proposed city project would continue work making roads in the largely industrial area more accessible, adding lighting and a 10-foot path for pedestrians and cyclists on Southeast 25th Street from Mission Street to Madrona Avenue. 

It’s one of six transportation projects the city is seeking federal money for, according to city council records from earlier this month.

Projects would be selected through the  Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study, a regional traffic planning organization, as part of its next improvement plan. Decisions on which projects to fund will be made in May 2026.

Other city projects include sidewalks in south and east Salem to a bridge in a West Salem park. Two potential projects would make improvements in the Faye Wright Neighborhood.

The list of projects was based on the city’s transportation plan along with the study’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan. 

One of the projects would build sidewalks in anticipation of the proposed South Salem Transit Center, which is still in the land acquisition stage. 

The funding, if approved, wouldn’t be available until 2027 at the earliest.

Applications were due Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Here’s what the city is seeking federal money for:

• Multi-use path on Southeast 25th Street, $6.8 million: A 10-foot wide path for bicyclists and pedestrians will be paved alongside the Salem airport from Southeast Mission Street to Madrona Avenue. The new path will connect with existing bike lanes and a path on Madrona Avenue west of 25th Street. The project will also add lighting along the path to increase safety. The Salem airport’s security fence along Southeast 25th Street will be moved to make space for the path.

• New lane, sidewalks and crossing on Southeast Commercial Street, $4.1 million: A new sidewalk on the west side of Southeast Commercial Street from Wiltsey Road to Madras Street in preparation for Cherriots’ proposed South Salem Transit Center. A southbound lane and buffered bike line will also be added. A pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Southeast Commercial Street and Waln Drive will be built. The project would be about one block south of the Beehive food truck pod on Commercial Street. The east side of the street is expected to have a similar project, according to city council records, but is not set for a year.

• New sidewalks and pedestrian crossing for Northeast Fisher Road, $3.4 million: Along the east side of Northeast Fisher Road, between Ward and Cooley Drives, a new sidewalk will be built as part of a city and Marion County effort to fill in missing sections of sidewalk in east Salem. The stretch of Fisher Road potentially getting sidewalks starts a couple of blocks away from the Goodwill store on Northeast Lancaster Drive. Parts of the sidewalk located outside of city limits will be constructed by Marion County.

• Pavement repairs and new sidewalks on Southeast Salem Heights Avenue, $4.9 million: On a stretch of Southeast Salem Heights Avenue between Liberty Road and Commercial Street, there will be new curbs, sidewalks and gutters. There will also be new streetlights and pavement reconstruction. The project site is just south of the Roth’s store between Liberty Road and Commercial Street. Project construction has been scheduled for 2027, according to city council records.

• New sidewalks, path and bridge around Northwest Orchard Heights Road, $1.7 million: A new bridge over Glenn Creek will improve access to Orchard Heights Park’s fields and tennis courts for West Salem residents and maintenance vehicles. There will also be a new sidewalk, curb and gutter along the north side of Northwest Orchard Heights Road between Linwood Street and Chapman Hill Drive. A pedestrian crossing will also be added at the intersection of Orchard Heights Road and Chapman Hill Drive.

• Planning study for Southeast Commercial Street, $500,000: Funding would go towards a study on the transportation issues along Southeast Commercial Street between Promontory Place and Sunnyside Road. The city identified that part of Commercial Street as having lots of traffic driving at high speeds without any ways for pedestrians to get around. The area potentially being studied is in front of the Natural Grocers store on Commercial Street. The planning study would identify possible ways to improve the street section for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

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