$1.5 million for safety corridor

An area of Warm Springs that is in need of safety transportation work is along Highway 26, from the Highway 3 intersection to the area by Indian Head Casino and the Museum at Warm Springs.

There are specific area of concern within this corridor, such as the Highway 26-Hollywood Boulevard-Shell Station intersection, and the highway-casino-museum intersection.

The roadway from the Hollywood intersection to the casino is another area of concern, as many pedestrians walk this potentially dangerous area.

The good news is that the state of Oregon has allocated $1.5 million to begin improvements to the Highway 26 Warm Springs corridor. The Tribal Council has been asked to rank these and other potential projects.

State Rep. John Huffman, along with ODOT and other officials, met last week with tribal representatives to discuss this and related issues. They toured the safety corridor area, and the industrial park.

There is a good possibility that the $1.5 million could be leveraged for additional funding, Rep. Huffman said.

Downtown Project

Councilman Kahseuss Jackson organized the meeting with the state officials. In a related matter, Councilman Jackson has also been working with the BIA on the Warm Springs Downtown Project.

This project will involve replacing the existing water and sewer infrastructure at the campus area. The BIA appears ready to fund the work in 2016-17, Jackson said.

The BIA has already started part of the Downtown Project work, by removing some of the old buildings on the campus.

A question has been whether the BIA would be responsible for replacing the infrastructure, or just responsible for removing the existing pipes. This issue is being resolved with the regional office, Jackson said.

Replacing the infrastructure will allow for new development in the campus area.