Let public weigh in on proposed I-5 interchange.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By David Sonnichsen For The Register-Guard

Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken made a bold statement in September during a presentation on proposed freeway interchange additions for Interstate 5 at Franklin Boulevard:

"I frankly don't care what the ramps look like as long as you build them," Leiken said to his fellow members of the intergovernmental Metropolitan Policy Committee. "This is a golden opportunity," he added, urging that a final design be quickly presented to Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, who would be told, ``Here it is, find the money.''

This expression of wishful free association may demonstrate how some elected officials want things to work, but the reality is that the people who elect the officials get a chance to participate, too. It's called public involvement.

In regard to any changes in the current relationship of I-5 to Franklin Boulevard, the process is just getting under way. Let's not jump the gun.

Of the seven preliminary design concepts presented - which may be viewed at www.LCOG.org/meetings/mpc/092005/mpc4a-attachment_1interchange_concepts.pdf - five would have major impacts on both sides of the Willamette River, and six intrude into the Willamette itself.

But one design concept directs its focus away from the river and toward a more practical solution: upgrading the Glenwood interchange.

One way or another, the existing Glenwood configuration is history. If any of the other six design concepts is selected, I-5/Glenwood would have to be eliminated. There is insufficient distance between an expanded I-5/Franklin and I-5/Glenwood to meet federal highway interchange separation standards.

Concentrating on a redesign of I-5/Glenwood accomplishes two goals simultaneously:

Improved access to and from Eugene and Springfield. An updated Glenwood interchange can achieve results comparable to ramps at I-5/Franklin, without impacts to the Willamette River Greenway, and with far less cost.

Freeway noise reduction for Laurel Hill valley residents, which could be built into an I-5/Glenwood redesign. Reverberating freeway whine funneling into the Laurel Hill valley from the Glenwood curve has long been an issue the Laurel Hill citizens association has wanted the Oregon Department of Transportation to address.

Procedurally, ODOT must consider the proposed Franklin ramps separately from the permanent Willamette River bridge that it plans to build in the next eight to 10 years, because there is money budgeted for the bridge, but no funding source for ramps.

ODOT says it wants to design a "signature bridge" - one with character and grace, that complements its surroundings. Trying to graft two tentacle-like ramps stretching across the river from the north end of the bridge would result in an ugly structure. It is discouraging to hear Leiken express a lack of concern for the visual impact of the proposed ramps.

Brian Ray, the Kittleson and Associates engineer who produced the seven design concepts for ODOT, acknowledges that the ramps amount to separate bridges. ``So it's not just one bridge, but actually three bridges'' that would need to be built, he told the Metropolitan Policy Committee in September. Two additional ramps would produce a concrete thicket beneath them, compromising the navigability, aquatic habitat and view of the river.

The north bank of the river is park land. A federal highway rule prohibits using federal funds for construction through park land unless other options are not possible. As we have seen, ODOT has already published such an option: an upgraded Glenwood interchange.

When voters get an opportunity to question ODOT representatives, they'll want to know about comparative cost estimates, and which other road improvements might have to be canceled if funds are shifted. They'll discover that building over a river is incredibly expensive. They may ask, Which institutions and property owners stand to benefit? They'll also question the need for this project, as the Fairmount Neighborhood Association has done in a motion to the Eugene mayor and City Council.

An amendment to TransPlan, our regional transportation priority list, would have to be approved by Eugene, Springfield and Lane County in order to proceed beyond the present "study" phase. A lot of water will pass under the bridge before a final decision is in sight. Let's not jump the gun, or land in the water.

David Sonnichsen is treasurer of the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, and chairman of a subcommittee studying the proposed I-5/Franklin interchange.