ReVision Florence

Project Type:

Capital Project

Project Status:

Completed

Location:

ReVision Florence

Have you heard people talking about ReVision Florence? The Florence Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Florence are working on a streetscape design in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation to improve the visual, pedestrian, gateway, and safety aspects of our Highway 101 and 126 corridors in Florence.

See below for information about ReVision Florence as well as at the bottom of the page for meeting videos and other documents.

Want updates on ReVision Florence? Sign up for our ReVision Florence Project Updates list at www.ci.florence.or.us/newsletter/subscriptions.

ReVision Florence Construction Survial Guide - February 2019 Update

ReVision Florence Frequently Asked Questions

Find the Business Toolkit at www.ci.florence.or.us/urbanrenewal/revision-florence-business-toolkit.

About ReVision Florence

The long-awaited ReVision Florence Streetscape Project is here! After three years of planning, the Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) and the City are preparing for construction. FURA and the City have worked in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) on ReVision Florence since 2015. The project, known as ReVision Florence, will extend along Highway 101 between the Siuslaw River Bridge and Highway 126, and east along Highway 126 to Spruce Street. It also includes ODOT’s repaving of Highway 101.

ReVision Florence’s goal is to improve the streetscape along Highways 101 and 126. If you spend the day in Historic Old Town Florence, it is accompanied by scenic views, historic architecture, and a pedestrian friendly downtown core with shopping, open space, and great people. Venture just a few blocks north onto our highway corridors and you experience an expanse of pavement and cement that is not in line with the amazing features of our community. By improving the streetscape, we improve our community’s first impression to our visitors and create a lasting impression for our citizens!

ReVision Florence is a regionally significant project for Florence and west Lane County. In Lane County, Florence and Highway 101 serve as the gateway to the Pacific Ocean and other coastal recreational opportunities for visitors. This project will help Florence attract repeat visitors to our area, and will serve as a vital economic development catalyst for Highway 101. It is not often that a community can construct a project of this magnitude along a Federal and State Highway. ODOT has been instrumental in ensuring that this project is constructed in coordination with their repaving of the project area.

The primary goals of ReVision Florence include:

Reinvestment in the Highway 101 District
Promotion of Job Growth and Job Creation
Realignment of the Corridor with the Community’s Character
Promotion of Tourism and Expansion of Tourist Areas
Pedestrian, Bicyclist, and Vehicular Safety in the Corridor
Maintenance of Freight Mobility

It will include the following highway beatification and safety elements:

Sidewalks
Bike Lanes
Defined Parking
Landscaping
Plazas
ADA Improvements
Street & Pedestrian Lighting
Undergrounding Utilities
Visual Cues to Slow Down Traffic
Repaving Highway 101 from Siuslaw River Bridge to Highway 126 Junction

What will it look like?

Project Funding

FURA and ODOT have bid the project and the final costs for the combined streetscape and paving are approximately $8.56 million. This breaks down to just under $7.3 million for the streetscape and just under $1.3 million for the paving. An outline of project funding is provided to the right. Project costs include design, engineering, right-of-way administration and acquisition, construction, project management, and contingencies.

The above project costs are based on the successful construction bidding process and contract completed in late 2018. Alex Hodge Construction out of Bend, Oregon, was the successful low bidder and will be completing the ReVision Florence streetscape and paving work, along with another City project along north Highway 101.

Project Timeline

The anticipated project construction timeline is to the right. Construction will visibly begin Monday, March 4, 2019. The project completion date has been adjusted to the end of January 2020. The beginning dates for each stage of construction are weather dependent and may vary slightly as the project progresses.

Construction Plan - What to Expect

Construction projects of this magnitude require a well planned schedule. Through our planning process, the City and ODOT have worked to ensure that the construction has a manageable amount of impact on the business owners in the project area. Our goal is to help businesses succeed during the period of construction.

Construction Timing

The majority of the construction will occur during the day, depending on the contractor’s schedule and the type of work being done. The contractor has developed a preliminary schedule that will be updated as the construction progresses. The City and ODOT will work with the contractor to provide updates to the community on the current impacts of construction.

Transportation Management Plan Strategies

FURA’s consultants have worked closely with ODOT to develop Transportation Management Plan strategies during construction.

Lane Closures: Construction will require temporary lane closures. Due to summer tourism along the Oregon coast, there are seasonal restrictions for this project. Single lane closures, in either direction, on Highways 101 and 126 will be allowed during the majority of construction. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, lane closures will be restricted to the northbound left travel lane.
Street Closures: Several intersecting side streets will be closed for up to 10 consecutive days at a time to allow for sidewalk and crosswalk construction. These street closures will be staged to provide alternate routes.
Traffic Delays: Some delays can be expected due to construction and travel lane closures. The contractor will work closely with ODOT to keep the duration of the delays to a reasonable time period.
Pedestrian Access: Pedestrians will be detoured to the shortest accessible route around the construction area using existing sidewalk on the opposite side of Highway 101 or behind the work area on temporary paths. In a few cases, pedestrians will be routed into temporary, protected, paths that are in the closed vehicle travel lane.
Driveway Access: The contractor will be required to provide private driveway access to businesses and property owners at all times. While driveways are being constructed, access will be provided via an alternate route or will have construction staged to still provide and maintain access.

Gateway Treatments

A key component of ReVision Florence is the addition of gateway treatments to Florence. These gateways will direct visitors off the highway into Historic Old Town. Gateways will include signage, public art, landscaping, and pedestrian amenities. The actual monument pillars will be constructed outside of the contract through ODOT following the main construction.

Maple Street Gateway

The below image depicts the Maple Street gateway into Old Town. Maple Street will be realigned to meet Highway 101 at a 90 degree angle to improve visibility and safety of the intersection. Other aspects will include public art, open spaces, landscaping, and benches to create the gateway.

Quince Street Gateway

The Quince Street gateway will direct visitors off Highway 126 along the Siuslaw River Estuary, past the Florence Events Center, and into Historic Old Town. Providing artistic treatments at the Quince Street intersection will not only provide a gateway for Old Town, but will also provide a Welcome to Florence visual. Siuslaw River Bridge architecture provides gateway inspiration.

Status Updates

11/22/19 – The ReVision Florence Streetscape Project is still under construction. The estimated contract substantial completion date for the project has been extended to January 31, 2020. As we move into the holiday season, please expect to see lighter crews the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. During these holiday breaks, traffic control will remain in place as needed and the area will still be considered an active construction zone.

Please continue to be cautious in the area as it will remain an active construction zone through the completion of the project. We thank our community members and visitors for their continued patience as we work to complete ReVision Florence construction.

Highway 101 Paving Update

Alex Hodge Construction (AHC) and their subcontractors have paved the majority of the travel lanes for U.S. 101 between the Siuslaw River Bridge and the OR126/U.S. 101 junction. AHC will be paving the outer parking and bike lanes on the eastside of U.S. 101 over the next month as new curb and gutters are completed. They will also be completing the paving around driveway aprons and where U.S. 101 intersects local side streets. The U.S. 101/OR126 junction will be repaved separately as it will require additional traffic control in order to complete. Notice of paving operations will be provided when the specific dates and times are scheduled.

Recently Asked Questions

Debris Pile – During the construction project, AHC has had an agreement with the Florence Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Florence to use the Quince Street property for their job site and staging. Over the next few months, AHC will be removing the debris pile from the Quince Street staging site.

Landscaping – The landscapers are finishing the construction of the irrigation system and will begin the plantings after the Thanksgiving holiday. This will include the abatement of the weeds that have grown in these areas.

Driveways & Side Streets – As paving is completed, the Contractor will be completing the connection work of newly constructed and existing driveways. The local street approaches will also be paved to create a smooth transition between the side streets and the highway.

Gateway Monuments – The Florence Urban Renewal Agency (FURA) will be going out to bid for the construction of the gateway monuments at Maple Street and Quince Street in early 2020. The FURA Board anticipates considering contract award at the February 2020 Board meeting.

10/4/2019 - The ReVision Florence Streetscape Project is still under construction. The estimated contact completion date for the project has been extended to November 21, 2019. Paving will continue over the next two weeks and is weather dependent. Paving will generally begin at 7 p.m. and end at 6 a.m.

Highway 101 Paving Update

Alex Hodge Construction and their subcontractors have begun the paving operations for U.S. 101 between the Siuslaw River Bridge and the OR126 intersection. The contractor will be paving Sunday night, October 6th. Asphalt grinding operations will start at 5 p.m. and paving will begin at 7 p.m. Crews will be working on paving the southbound interior lane and half of the median on the west side of U.S. 101.

Paving will require impacts to traffic flow. During grinding and paving operations, the contractor will have flaggers positioned at both the U.S. 101/OR126 junction and U.S. 101/Rhododendron Drive intersection to allow traffic to cross or enter the highway in the construction zone as necessary. Traffic on U.S. 101 will be restricted to north/south movement. Side streets will be closed along U.S. 101 during night paving activities.

Motorists are encouraged to use Kingwood Street, Quince Street, Bay Street, and other side streets as applicable to navigate through the area if it is possible to avoid using of U.S. 101. Traffic will also be shifted to the east side of U.S. 101 along the length of the project during paving operations. Please use caution in the construction zone, watch for flaggers and pay attention to the change in traffic patterns.

5/9/2019 - As the Rhododendron Festival approaches, we wanted to provide an updated on what to expect for ReVision Florence during the festival weekend. The ReVision Florence Streetscape Project construction is well underway. The contractor will be working Monday through Wednesday of the week leading up to the Rhododendron Festival (May 13-15). They will not be working Thursday, May 16th through Sunday, May 19th. Crews will work through Wednesday, May 15th to prepare the construction zone for the Rhododendron Festival. This will include the reopening of both southbound travel lanes on Highway 101 and both westbound travel lanes on Highway 126.

www.ci.florence.or.us/citymanager/revision-florence-construction-impacts-rhody-days

2/27/2019 - FURA, the City of Florence, ODOT, and Alex Hodge Construction hosted a Community Pre-Construction Meeting prior to construction starting on March 4, 2019. The materials presented are linked below.

ReVision Florence Survival Guide -- Updated 2019

ReVision Florence Community Pre-Construction Meeting Presentation

AHC ReVision Florence Community Pre-Construction Meeting Presentation

10/26/18 - ReVision Florence Pre-Bid Meeting

The City of Florence and ODOT hosted a pre-bid meeting for the ReVision Florence Streetscape and Paving Project. The presentations from the pre-bit meeting can be found under supporting documents.

Information on the ReVision Florence bidding process can be found at www.ci.florence.or.us/urbanrenewal/revision-florence-streetscape-project-october-2018.

8/6/2018 - As the Florence Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Florence proceed with the ReVision Florence Streetscape Project, we wanted to provide you with an update on the timeline and what to expect with this project moving forward.

Project Bidding, Design, & Timeline

You may have heard that the project went through a public bidding process that was administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Those bids were opened on June 7, 2018. Unfortunately, we only received two bids and they were both well over our budget. ODOT has formally rejected the bids and we are working with them to revise our strategy in anticipation of going out to bid again in October.

Over the past month, City staff members have been working with ODOT and our engineering consultant, Murraysmith, to revise several components of the project in order to prepare for rebidding later this fall. Those changes include revising the timeline, lane restriction changes, and design modifications. We are also working with ODOT to combine the streetscape project and their paving project into one comprehensive project with a single construction bidding process and contractor. The goal of combining the two projects is to recognize some economies of scale in the mobilization and construction costs, as well as to reduce some of the work that would be needed for temporary features between the timing of the two projects.

The updated timeline is as follows:

August 10, 2018 – Final Design due to ODOT for Review
August 27, 2018 – Final Design sent to ODOT Office of Project Letting
October 11, 2018 – Advertisement of Bid Documents
October 25, 2018 – Contractor Mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting
November 15, 2018 – ODOT Opens Bids
January 2019 – Construction Begins
October 2019 – Construction Ends

Next Steps

As the City works with ODOT to update the project design to fit within the budget, it is important for the business owners along the corridor to have the update on what to expect. With construction now pushed back to 2019, business and property owners will not have the impact of construction during the 2018 tourism season.

The City, Florence Urban Renewal Agency, and ODOT are committed to seeing this project completed. While there will be some changes to the original design, the overall project concept and the main project elements will stay intact. The project will still include new sidewalks, utility undergrounding, new lighting, landscaping, bike lanes, gateway plazas, and paving.

Stay Informed

As the project moves closer to the new construction date, we will provide additional updates to the business and property owners in the corridor, as well as the community. Additional open house information will be available on the City’s website when one is scheduled. City staff will continue to develop project resources for the Business Toolbox with the updated construction timing information. The City will continue to provide future updates on the ReVision Florence project webpage at www.ci.florence.or.us/urbanrenewal/revision-florence.

4/27/2018 - On April 25, 2018, the Florence Urban Renewal District and the City of Florence held an open house to present the final design for ReVision Florence. At the open house, the City and the consulting firms presented information about the project. Their presentations can be found at the following links:

At the open house, staff presented the ReVision Florence Construction Survival Guide with information about the project and information for business owners. You can view the Guide at the link below or pick up a copy at Florence Public Works, the Florence Justice Center, the Chamber of Commerce, or the Siuslaw News.

ReVision Florence Construction Survival Guide

The consultants also provided an updated typical cross section image and the image demonstrating the new pedestrian and street lighting. The new lights will have the ability to hang flower baskets, banners, and holiday decor as demonstrated in the rendering here. We look forward to bringing those elements up to the highways!

4/18/2018 - ReVision Florence Final Design Open House

The Florence Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Florence will be hosting an open house for community members and business owners to view the final design of the ReVision Florence Streetscape Project.

During the open house, the City will present the details of the project at two specific times. Those presentations will occur at 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm. City staff and our design team will review the project details, outline our timeline for construction, and answer questions.

Want updates on ReVision Florence? Sign up for our ReVision Florence Project Updates list at www.ci.florence.or.us/newsletter/subscriptions.

More details at www.ci.florence.or.us/urbanrenewal/revision-florence-final-design-open-house.

12/8/2017 - Lane County commits $1.2 million towards ReVision Florence

FLORENCE, OR – On November 28, 2017, the Lane County Board of Commissioners considered a funding request for ReVision Florence from the Florence Urban Renewal Agency and the City of Florence. At that meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved the contribution of $1.2 million over six years. Read the full press release here.

11/28/2017 - The Lane County Board of Commissioners will be reviewing a final recommendation from Lane County staff on the ReVision Florence funding request from FURA. View the Lane County Board Meeting Agenda November 28, 2017 & Memorandum.

The City and FURA also submitted several letters of support to Lane County, which can be viewed here.

11/15/2017 - Staff presented an update on ReVision Florence at the November 15, 2017 FURA meeting. The memorandum can be viewed here.

10/30/2017 - The 90% Design was submitted to ODOT on October 30, 2017. The design is nearly complete and will receive review from ODOT to make sure that ReVision Florence seamlessly coordinates with the Highway 101 paving project.

7/15/2017 - The 60% Design was submitted to ODOT on July 14, 2017. ODOT will review the plans for comments.

05/24/2017 - The FURA Board reviewed scoping considerations at their May 24, 2017 meeting. The memorandum can be viewed here. The Board provided direction the following direction to staff:

Old Town Gateways - Monument Gateway features at Maple Street, rather than an archway over Maple Street.
Highway 126 - Continue with design for the Highway 126 portion of the project, but bid it as an alternate that can be added to the construction contract depending on construction bids.
Utility Undergrounding - Underground all utilities that parallel Highway 101 in the project area. The three aerial transmission lines that cross Highway 101 in the project area will remain.

12/5/2016 - The 30% Design Acceptance Package was prepared by Murray Smith and Associates and submitted to the Oregon Department of Transportation design review team on November 30, 2016. Those documents can be found below under Supporting Documents.

Files: