Street construction finished, and downtown Eugene welcoming visitors

This year, streets in downtown Eugene underwent significant construction. Between the High Street Protected Bikeway, the Eighth Avenue Streetscape, and the Oak and Pearl Pavement Rehabilitation Project, nearly every street in downtown was affected at some point.

All three downtown construction projects are now finished. Pearl, Oak, and Eighth Ave are all repaved and smooth, the ADA ramps are updated, and the bike lanes are aligned and open. The High Street Bikeway is finished, and the signals are running smoothly. Community members can now enjoy downtown Eugene's newly improved streets, complete with repaved surfaces and upgraded safety features.

"The streets in downtown Eugene have been transformed this year." said Willow Hamilton, community engagement coordinator for the Transportation Planning team within Public Works. "Eighth Avenue is now two-way, Pearl and Oak have brand new pavement, and High Street is flowing with bike riders. We even added about 15 new parking spaces to Pearl Street by moving the bike lane to the west side, a win-win for drivers and bike riders."

If you haven't been downtown in a while, hop in your car, on your bike, or on the bus and make the trek. There are loads of businesses for dining, shopping, and getting together with friends and family. Visit downtowneugene.com to explore business and events.

The City recognizes that so much construction happening at the same time was difficult for the community. Although the projects were supposed to be spaced out over several years, the price inflation and supply chain issues during the COVID pandemic caused project costs to skyrocket. In order to steward tax dollars well, the projects were delayed until prices came back down, resulting in a lot of downtown construction happening within the same year. The City extends a warm thank you to all the businesses, residents, workers, and visitors of downtown Eugene.