The study and proposed project area of the Cascade Mixed Use Corridor. It runs through much of Hood River’s last undeveloped land, will feature pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and help efficiently connect Hood River with the Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail.
The study and proposed project area of the Cascade Mixed Use Corridor. It runs through much of Hood River’s last undeveloped land, will feature pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and help efficiently connect Hood River with the Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail.
HOOD RIVER — During a special meeting on July 29, all four present members of Hood River’s City Council approved a Transportation and Growth Management (TGM) Grant application. If accepted, the grant will fund a study analyzing how to integrate redevelopment efforts on the Historic Columbia River Highway and State Trail with Hood River’s own plans.
Dustin Nilsen, the city’s director of planning and zoning, requested $300,000 from Oregon’s Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon’s Department of Land Use Conservation and Development. The study and proposed project area focus on Hood River’s portion of the Historic Highway, starting at the beginning of Westcliff Drive, continuing along Cascade Avenue and stopping at 13th Street — collectively called the Cascade Mixed Use Corridor.
“This will likely include changes to the streetscape design, the addition of sidewalks, creating bicycle facilities and modern stormwater landscaping,” said Nilsen. The study will also examine infrastructure needs for businesses and the affordable housing projects outlined in Hood River’s Westside Urban Renewal Plan and its Affordable Housing Strategy.
Periodic construction on the Historic Highway and State Trail has taken place since the National Scenic Area Act was passed in 1986. With 69 of the original 73 miles now open to travel, Hood River expects increased bicycle and pedestrian traffic when ODOT completes the Mitchell Point segment, expected in 2027. This could bring more people to an already heavily used transportation system.
“It is the only East-West arterial through the city, connecting its commercial centers, all three interstate exchanges and two state highways,” said Nilsen in his grant application. “Through advanced planning efforts, there is a window that will allow the city to plan for, rather than react to, the introduction of a regional trail system.”
Organizations like Columbia Area Transit, the Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee and Bikeabout supported the TGM application.
ODOT will conduct a traffic impact analysis on how a fully functioning Historic Highway will affect Hood River, which will help inform alternatives to the Cascade Corridor project. Nilsen expects to learn whether Hood River received the grant by September of this year.
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