Traffic Congestion
The traffic congestion problems to and from West Eugene are getting worse every year. There are certain times of the day, for instance, when West Eleventh traffic is virtually at a standstill.
During my eight years as Mayor (1997-2005) I continued working through a public process that had been started during an earlier administration to find a solution to the West Eugene traffic problem which was a troublesome issue even then. That process included meetings, input and discussions throughout our community over a number of years. The result of that process was a proposal to build the West Eugene Parkway.
To make sure that it was what the overall community wanted, we put the measure authorizing WEP onto the ballot so that all of Eugene's voters would have a chance to either ratify or deny the project concept. I reiterate, this was a long and involved process that included signficant public debate and input—in addition to a city-wide public vote.
The public voted in favor of the measure.
In 2005, after Mayor Piercy took office, she stopped the Parkway project, effectively telling the public that she did not feel the public had made the right choice. She called the project a "boondoggle" and promised to find another solution. That solution has not been found some 900 days after the parkway project was stopped.
However, Mayor Piercy promises that her committee will have a proposed solution for us in 2009.
The unfortunate byproduct of her choice to overturn a public vote was to deprive Eugene of some $80 million dollars in state highway funding, which was earmarked for the project, but which went elsewhere.