The Canby City Council at their last meeting approved an agreement with the county that will allow the estimated $2.1 million improvement project on South Ivy Street to move forward.
The section of road between Highway 99E and Lee Elementary School, which is currently under county jurisdiction, will be finished to city standards with sidewalks, ADA ramps, a bicycle lane and a traffic signal at the intersection with Township Road near Bethany Church. Once the project is complete, the city will assume ownership and maintenance of the street.
The county will need to purchase rights-of-way to make the necessary improvements, and there is a residential driveway that lies within the intersection of Ivy and Township that will need to be addressed. The city has committed to approximately $438,000 of the estimated $2.1 million price tag.
Mayor Brian Hodson estimated that this is a project that the city has been working toward for over six years, though they were limited in how much they could do while it was under county jurisdiction. After such a long wait, City Administrator Rick Robinson said he was prepared to do whatever he could to fast-track the project on their end.
However, the truth is that construction still isn’t expected to begin this year or next. In a previous interview, the assistant director of the Clackamas County Department of Transportation said the next step will be to hire a design consultant for the project. Once they’re in place, the county will have a better idea of the timeline.
