Transforming Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard: Safety overhaul set for Spring 2024

EUGENE, Ore. — Eugene Public Works announces Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be undergoing lane changes for safety in Eugene.

Construction is starting on a MLK Jr. Blvd. project that will address concerns about the current five-lane, high-speed configuration that has resulted in risky behaviors, severe crashes, injuries, and fatalities, the City of Eugene tells us in a press release on Wednesday.

Scheduled for spring and summer of 2024, the MLK Jr. Blvd Transit and Safety project will repurpose the outside travel lanes as dedicated Bus and Turn lanes, it will add a crosswalk at Chevy Chase Street, and enhance the bikeways with green color at driveways and intersections.

These changes align with Eugene's Vision Zero Action Plan, a goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on city streets.

The MLK project area has been identified as a high crash corridor and has experienced a significant number of severe crashes, resulting in four fatalities and 26 serious injuries between 2007 to 2021, the City tells us.

BAT lanes, as used in the EmX system, are designed to optimize bus operations as well as visually narrowing streets to reduce speeds. According to the City, resizing MLK to match the actual vehicle capacity needed will contribute to safer conditions and similar "road diet" projects in other communities have shown up to a 47% reduction in total crashes.

The City tells us that the project has the potential to reduce the severity of injuries as well as decrease the overall number of crashes.

Discussions with Oregon Department of Transportation are underway to coordinate speed limit reductions for additional safety measures.

Visit the City’s webpage to learn more about high crash corridors and Vision Zero.