Pathways Program

The City is proposing several new pathways to connect neighborhoods with local elementary schools and parks. 

Improvements include new pathways for four locations: 

• Boca Ratan Drive Pathway – from Bonniebrae Drive to Atwater Road
• Douglas Way Pathway – from Quarry Road to Boones Ferry Road
• Hallinan Street Pathway – from Hemlock Street to Cherry Lane
• Lanewood Street/Douglas Circle Pathway – from Boones Ferry Road to Twin Fir Road

In summer 2022, the project team developed possible alternative concepts of the pathways and sought feedback through in-person meetings and online questionnaires. Results are available in the key documents and under project updates. 

On September 22, 2022, the City and project team presented the community feedback received from the meetings and questionnaires, along with the preliminary concepts to the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). A link to the meeting materials and agenda is here.

Following the TAB meeting, on October 18, 2022, Council made a decision to move forward with developing detailed designs for all four pathway locations. To view the meeting agenda and materials, click here. 

Background & Project Need

This pathway project is identified as an important component in the City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) and is funded under the current Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The scope of the 2022 Pathways Project was selected by the Transportation Advisory Board.

Each pathway will provide critical missing connections linking neighborhoods to schools, business districts, and recreation areas. This project is part of the City and Council goal of providing safe pedestrian facilities that encourage walking, rolling, and riding.

Schedule

• Alternatives Development & Preliminary Design: Spring-Summer 2022
• Transportation Advisory Board and City Council Review: Fall 2022
• Detailed Design: Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
• Construction: Summer/Fall 2023 - for Douglas, Hallinan and Boca Ratan pathways. (Lanewood to be constructed in 2024). 

Final Designs - Spring/Summer 2023

Final design of the Douglas Way Pathway segment is now complete. A link to the final plans is here. Construction on this pathway is expected to take place this summer, when school is out. 

Designs for Hallinan and Boca Ratan Pathways are expected to be finalized in late May and late June. Construction on both of these pathways is expected to take place later this summer or fall. 

Due to timing constraints, Lanewood Pathway design is not expected to be finalized until late 2023, with construction taking place in 2024. 

Concept Development - Summer 2022

Please note, initial concepts were presented at the August community meetings. Since then, some of the options have been eliminated based on feedback received at the meetings and existing constraints (e.g. utility pole locations, trees, site distance/clearance, property impacts etc.).

Boca Ratan Drive Pathway Concepts

• Perspective View
• Plan View

Options that were available for feedback in the questionnaire:

• 5-foot wide raised concrete sidewalk with a concrete curb, narrowing the width of the street by adding in the new sidewalk, OR
• No pathway/sidewalk improvements.

Eliminated Option

After receiving feedback at the recent Boca Ratan community meeting, the project team has eliminated option 1 (a 5-foot wide raised concrete sidewalk with a concrete curb installed outside/behind the existing roadway). This was due to concerns with tree removal and potential impacts to adjacent property encroachments in the right-of-way.

Douglas Way Pathway Concepts

• Perspective View
• Plan View

For Douglas Way, there were three proposed concepts available for feedback on the questionnaire, all of which are located on the south side of the roadway. The main difference between them is the type of material for each:

Option 1: 5-foot wide asphalt pathway with some concrete curbs
Option 2: 5-foot wide raised concrete sidewalk with concrete curbs
Option 3: A combination of raised concrete sidewalk and asphalt pathway with concrete curbs

All options also show potentially installing marked crosswalks at the intersection of Douglas and Hallmark.

Hallinan Street Pathway Concepts

• Perspective View
• Plan View

Segments that were available for feedback in the questionnaire:

• Only one segment
• A combination of segments
• No segments/pathway improvements

Segments include:

• Segment 1 (shown in purple) proposes a 5-foot wide asphalt pathway/concrete sidewalk combination on Cherry Lane between Hawthorne Drive and on Hallinan Street to Meadows Drive.
• Segment 2 (shown in turquoise) proposes a 5-foot wide raised concrete sidewalk with a curb on the east side of Hallinan Street between Meadows Drive and Hemlock Street.
• Segment 3 (shown in yellow) proposes improvements to the Hallinan Street and Hemlock Street intersection, including continuing the pathway to the school entrance, and adding in curb bump-outs to improve pedestrian safety/visibility and provide traffic calming.

Eliminated Option

After receiving feedback at the recent Hallinan Street community meeting, the project team has eliminated option 2 (a combination of sidewalk/pathway on different sides of the street with additional crosswalks). This is due to additional street crossings and potential conflicts between pedestrians and traffic. 

Lanewood Street/Douglas Circle Pathway Concepts

• Perspective View
• Plan View

Options that were available for feedback in the questionnaire:

• 5-foot wide asphalt pathway with a concrete curb, located on the south side of Lanewood Street and the south side of Douglas Circle on the south loop. This creates a direct connection from Boones Ferry to Twin Fir, but has tight areas at utility poles and trees that will need to be coordinated around., OR
• No pathway/sidewalk improvements.

Eliminated Option

After receiving feedback at the recent Lanewood/Douglas community meeting, the project team has eliminated option 2, a 5-foot wide asphalt pathway with a concrete curb, located on the north side of Lanewood Street and the east/south side of Douglas Circle on the north loop. This was eliminated due to concerns with creating an additional crossing, requiring property coordination, and potential impacts to adjacent property encroachments in the right-of-way.

Topics Discussed at Summer 2022 Community Meetings

Physical Separation

On pedestrian improvements like sidewalks and pathways, it is preferred to provide physical separation between the pedestrian facility and vehicular traffic, either using a curb (vertical separation) or using greenspace (horizontal separation). Example photos are shown below. This physical separation helps to provide a safer and more comfortable facility, especially for more vulnerable users. Physical separation has been incorporated into each of the pathway location concepts.

Pathway using greenspace for horizontal separation from roadway.jpg

Example of using greenspace to provide horizontal separation between pathway and roadway 

Pathway showing vertical separation with curb.jpg

Example of using a raised concrete curb to provide vertical separation between pathway and roadway 

Traffic Calming

Traffic calming is the combination of physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. This could include constructing speed bumps, providing curb extensions (bump-outs), narrowing the roadway, striping, signage etc.

Concrete or Asphalt – The Pros and Cons

In Lake Oswego, the two major materials that are typically used for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way have been asphalt (for pathways) and concrete (for sidewalks). Gravel pathways are common in parks. 

Pouring concrete sidewalks on Boones.jpg

Example of concrete sidewalk under construction

Asphalt pathway on Lanewood.jpg

Example of asphalt pathway

There are pros and cons to each: