About
The Oregon Department of Transportation is kicking off a new planning effort for the Oregon Coast Bike Route. With the changes in bicycle infrastructure standards, and the growth of bike tourism destinations and travel options both nationally and along U.S. 101, ODOT believes that the time is right to do this work.
The plan will provide a high level overview of the current and future OCBR. It will closely examine and identify opportunities to increase safety, accessibility and enjoyment for both local community members and travelers on the OCBR.
Location
US 101
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and parallel city and county roads that are currently part of the route or could be incorporated into the route between Astoria and the California border.
Contractor
CH2M is the prime contractor for this planning effort.
Benefits
This planning effort will identify opportunities to increase safety, accessibility and enjoyment for bicycle riders in local communities and for those traveling on the OCBR.
Additional Information
The OCBR was designated by the Oregon Transportation Commission in the early 1980s but ODOT last prepared a plan for the OCBR more than a decade ago.
The OCBR covers the total length of U.S. 101 in Oregon, 370 miles. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 10,000 people ride the OCBR annually.
The plan will also update the popular OCBR map. ODOT prints and distributes 10,000 to 12,000 maps annually.
This is a planning process, so the process will not develop conceptual designs for improvements but will identify needs and potential solutions.
The OCBR will be evaluated with a focus on identifying high priority improvement locations; defining the route and where it leaves U.S. 101; defining projects and supportive program investments; and determining how ODOT and local governments may make investments in the route.
Solutions could be supportive programs, capital investments or operational solutions and may include both short and long-term investment ideas. For example, a short-term idea might make the route safer or more comfortable with a smaller fix with an eye toward an ultimate solution that might be more expensive, impactful or be part of a larger project.
Staff in ODOT’s Regions 2 and 3 are jointly managing the two to three year planning process. ODOT has hired a consultant contractor, CH2M, to deliver the final OCBR plan and update the route map that will be considered for adoption by the Oregon Transportation Commission.
ODOT will be working closely with other state agencies and organizations such as the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Travel Oregon. That includes working with the OPRD and its Oregon Coast Trail effort, and where the two efforts may overlap or complement each other.
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