Community Advisory Group helped us build a bridge with lasting legacy

From ODOT-

The
soon-to-be-open Whilamut Passage Bridge is a tribute to the designers,
builders, project managers, volunteer community members and officials who
worked together to make it a success. 

Before
construction began, ODOT promised to incorporate community values and ideas
into the bridge design, and to leave the project area in better shape than
before construction began.  

The
project’s Community Advisory Group has been integral to our accomplishing this
goal. They have been meeting since 2007 and just held their final meeting.  

Members
have included representatives from local neighborhoods, recreation groups,
local artists, architects, the University of Oregon and the Citizen Planning
Committee for the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park and Eastgate
Woodlands. The group functions in an advisory role and provides recommendations
to a multi-agency project development team, which then makes recommendations to
ODOT. 

The
CAG participated in important decisions such as the deck-arch design of the new
bridge, community involvement activities and the selection of design
enhancements. Members volunteered over 1,300 hours in meetings, open houses and
countless other community activities. 

“The
Community Advisory Group has been a valuable partner in helping ODOT address
community concerns and build a project that reflects the history and culture of
the area,” said Karl Wieseke, ODOT project manager.  

“Thanks
to the work of CAG members, this $204 million bridge replacement project has
maintained strong public interest in and support for good design that
complements the surrounding parks and Whilamut Natural Area. Their efforts and
advocacy for excellence will have a lasting impact for decades to come,”
Wieseke said.

Voices From a Distant Past

From ODOT-  Fourteen large stones engraved with words from the Kalapuya language lie along paths in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park, a greenway on the north bank of the Willamette River in Eugene and Springfield.  Quarried from a basalt deposit in historic Kalapuya territory, the "talking stones", 11 of which were installed in 2002, serve as educational and cultural reference points as well as beautiful art objects.



As part of the restoration work for the Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge replacement project, ODOT contributed four more talking stones to the park in 2009.  Three have already been placed, with the fourth to be added at the end of the project.



The original talking stones were the result of discussions between Kalapuya Elder Esther Stutzman of the Kommema Cultural Protection Association and members of the Citizen Planning Committee for the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park.



Before the arrival of Euro-Americans, Kalapuyans were the largest Native American group in what is now western Oregon.  As many as 15,000 Kalapuya lived in their traditional territory, which extended from near Roseburg to Oregon City.  In 2003, an estimated 300 to 400 Kalapuyans remained.  For thousands of years, every object in the local landscape had a Kalapuya name.  Today, only 140 words remain.



The talking stones continue an important tradition of commemorating those who have gone before us and perserving their language.

Employees from subcontractor Dirt and Aggregate Interchange moved the new talking stones to their permanent locations in the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park.

Restoring the Whilamut Natural Area

From ODOT- Long before it was named the Whilamut Natural Area, the Kalapuya tribe inhabited this 70-acre site on the north bank of the Willamette River west of Interstate 5. The Kalapuya gathered food, traveled on the river and hunted local game. Later the site served as farmland, supplied sand and gravel for the original I-5 bridge and was used as a Lane County landfill from 1964 to 1974.

Transformation of the site continues today. The City of Eugene and volunteers serving on the Citizen Planning Committee oversee efforts to restore the area to its natural state. Removal of non-native plant species such as blackberries, Scotch broom and tall fescue allows native species to survive and thrive. Planting of native grasses and wildflowers creates new upland prairies for wildlife habitat. Western meadowlark, vesper sparrow, woodpeckers, lizards, gopher snakes, frogs and turtles are expected to return and thrive.

A new forest canopy of black cottonwood and Oregon ash will protect plants needing shade while providing wildlife habitat and a cool zone along the river for juvenile Chinook salmon.

As the restoration proceeds, bicyclists, walkers and runners use the variety of hard and soft paths to travel east, west, north and south. Some stop to enjoy the river or just sit and experience the natural surroundings.

Future generations will appreciate the opportunity to see cycles of nature and flourishing native plants and wildlife.

ODOT joins local efforts to restore a precious natural area

From ODOT-

More than 237 acres of parklands in the Whilamut Natural Area are along the north bank of the Willamette River, east and west of Interstate 5, and our bridge replacement project.



The Whilamut Natural Area provides for habitat restoration. It is dedicated to passive uses such as walking, bicycling and nature appreciation. Its character is very different than the developed park near the Ferry Street Bridge, farther west near downtown Eugene.



In 2001, the local Citizen Planning Committee voted to rename East Alton Baker Park the Whilamut Natural Area. In 2002, local Kalapuya people joined many other residents to commemorate the official renaming. Whilamut (WHEEL-a-moot), a Kalapuya word, means “where the river ripples and runs fast.”



Ongoing efforts by the CPC and local volunteers focus on restoring the area’s native plants and habitat, with a long-term goal of providing valuable diversity of native plant and wildlife species.



The next time you use the Canoe Canal Path or the North Bank Path, look for restored native plantings and other enhancements that create a more natural environment. ODOT, as part of our Willamette River Bridge project, is a partner with local citizens to restore native habitat in the Whilamut Natural Area.