Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements

(En español.)

About the project:

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will be installing Corvallis’ first bicycle signal along with green striping and upgraded sidewalk curb ramps at the intersection of Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive/Avery Avenue. The bike signal will provide a dedicated signal phase for southbound cyclists to cross the intersection diagonally from the shared use path on the northeast corner (where it ends) to the southwest bike lane on the highway.

Intersection DiagramWhat is a diagonal bicycle crossing?

Diagonal bicycle crossings are used when people riding bikes need to cross over and continue along a busy road. This allows people riding bikes to have their own signal cycle without having to cross two legs of the intersection (like a person walking). In the case of this project, it is used to transition from a two-way shared use path to a southbound bike lane.

How it works:Bike Movements

People riding bikes heading south on the shared use path adjacent to Hwy 99W (east side) will position themselves on the ramp with green markings and a bike symbol. A video camera will detect the person riding and trigger the bike signal. When the bike signal turns green, the rider proceeds diagonally through the intersection to reach the southbound bike lane, also with green markings.

 

Note that this project pre-dates the OR 99W South Corvallis Facility Plan currently underway. This is a near-term solution and would not interfere with other longer-range projects proposed in the plan.

Learn more at ODOT’s project page: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=OR99W-South-Corvallis-Improvements.

For questions or more information on the project, please contact Josh Capps, the City of Corvallis Active Transportation Program Specialist, at 541-766-6916.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the bicycle sensors that trigger the traffic signal the traditional ground-based (loop) sensors or is this intersection now a camera-based system?

All directions at the Crystal Lake and Avery Drive intersection are the new infrared camera bike detection system. This type of detection expands the bicycle detection zone by identifying bicyclists in the entire approach lane rather than relying on someone to be placed directly over the loop detector.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
Do I use the new diagonal crossing to bike to Avery Park?

This crossing was designed for people heading toward the Tunnison neighborhood or to businesses farther south along the west side of the highway. If you are traveling to Avery Park, it is more comfortable to use the path behind the Co-op which connects you to the bike lane on Crystal Lake. Once there, you travel toward the park in the bike lane, then use the new green markings through the intersection with the highway.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
How are people riding protected from right turning vehicles?

When the bike signal turns green, signs showing a no right turn symbol light up at the Crystal Lake Drive and Avery Avenue intersections to alert drivers that bikes are in the intersection. When the signs are lit, a driver cannot legally make a right turn from Crystal Lake Drive or Avery Avenue.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
When the bike signal is green, do any other vehicles have a green light?

No. When the bike signal is green, all other vehicles have a red light and the no right turn signs are lit. This combination clears the diagonal path for people riding bicycles.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
Why is the bike signal only in one direction? Shouldn’t people riding bicycles be able to cross both ways across the intersection?

The bike signal makes it easier and safer for people who are riding to get from the shared use path on the east side of the highway (near the Co-op) to the southbound bike lane. Before the signal, you had to cross the highway in two directions. But with the bike signal this is one movement. This crossing is designed for people traveling south, because those riding north (towards downtown and the path) should already be on the east side of the highway, traveling in the same direction as people driving. They will not be crossing diagonally at Crystal Lake Drive/Avery Avenue.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
Why isn’t the diagonal crossing marked with striping?

Having too many stripes is confusing for everyone. Rather than striping the diagonal crossing through the intersection, there are green markings on either end of the diagonal crossing. Additional green bike markings emphasize the route for people biking west along Avery Avenue/Crystal Lake Drive and north along OR 99W.

Category: Highway 99W and Crystal Lake Drive Crossing Improvements
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