The City of Eugene is starting construction on a Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard project that will address concerns related to the current five-lane, high-speed configuration that has resulted in risky behaviors, severe crashes, injuries and fatalities

Eugene, OR – According to the city officials, the project is reportedly scheduled for construction this spring and summer, will repurpose the outside travel lanes as dedicated Bus and Turn lanes, add a crosswalk at Chevy Chase Street, and enhance the bikeways with green color at driveways and intersections.

City officials also said that these changes align with the Vision Zero Action Plan goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on city streets. 

The MLK project area, identified as a high crash corridor, has experienced a significant number of severe crashes, resulting in four fatalities and 26 life-changing injuries between 2007 to 2021.

BAT lanes, like those seen in the EmX system, are designed to optimize bus operations while visually narrowing streets to reduce speeds.

Resizing MLK to match the actual vehicle capacity needed will contribute to safer conditions.

Similar “road diet” projects in other communities have shown up to a 47% reduction in total crashes.