Canby is finally getting its first traffic signal. Yes, you heard that right. Though there are a number of stoplights in the city, they are all operated by the state (ODOT) or Clackamas County.
The latest, which is planned for the intersection of Sequoia and Hazel Dell at the entrance to the Fred Meyer complex, is the first that will be built, operated and maintained by the city of Canby.
The project took a big step forward last week as the Canby City Council, in their role as the Urban Renewal Agency, approved a $640,000 contract with Brown Contracting out of Eugene to construct the new signal. Curran-McLeod, a Portland-based engineering firm, was previously contracted to design the project.
Brown’s was the lowest bid out of the four that the city received and also represents a slight savings from the $700,000 that had initially been anticipated.
The project is being funded primarily with urban renewal dollars. As City Administrator Scott McClure explained last week, the project would have also qualified system development funds, which are fees paid by developers to support city infrastructure, but the decision was made to reserve those for future projects, like the extension of Walnut Street which will serve as the new north access point for the Canby industrial park.
Most of the planned Walnut Street extension lies outside of the Canby urban renewal area and so is ineligible for any of those funds. City officials expect construction to start in January or February and last no more than six months, so the new traffic signal should be up and running by mid to late summer.