City Hosts French Prairie Bridge Project Open House on Feb. 22
February 3, 2017 - The City of Wilsonville Committee for Citizen Involvement is hosting a public open-house for the French Prairie Bridge Project on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 5–7 p.m., at City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop East, Wilsonville. The public event features members of the project management team providing an overview of the proposed bicycle/pedestrian/emergency-access crossing of the Willamette River with short presentations at 5:30 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Materials from the open house are available online at www.FrenchPrairieBridgeProject.org, where the public can sign-up to be on a mailing list, submit a comment or question, or view other information. For two weeks after the live open house, the City will continue to accept comments and feedback online at www.FrenchPrairieBridgeProject.org.
The City held the first meeting of the 21-member French Prairie Bridge Project Task Force on Jan. 31 to commence review of the project scope and develop an initial list of project evaluation criteria to consider. The task force reviews key information and provides recommendations to the City Council, at key milestones in the planning and design process. The group’s membership provides representation of a wide range of stakeholder values and interests and includes residents of Wilsonville and surrounding areas. Task force members represent affected neighborhoods and businesses, walking and cycling enthusiasts, local parks and trails interests, tourism associations and emergency service personnel.
The goal of the French Prairie Bridge Project, funded by a $1.25 million grant awarded through METRO regional government’s metropolitan transportation improvement program, is to develop preliminary designs for the proposed bicycle/pedestrian/emergency access crossing of the Willamette River. The project, undertaken in partnership with Clackamas County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, seeks to engage the public in addressing key questions about the bridge location, alignment, and design and thereby help position the community and the region to decide whether to pursue funding to create a final bridge design and construct the proposed bridge.
The project began in Fall 2016 and is planned to be complete by Fall 2018 when the Wilsonville City Council is expected to consider the proposed bridge design project. The project includes public open houses and other opportunities for public input regarding the preferred bridge type and landing points throughout the various stages of the process.
For more information, see www.FrenchPrairieBridgeProject.org, or contact Zachary Weigel, PE, Project Manager, at 503 570-1565, weigel@ci.wilsonville.or.us.
