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Officials have discussed for decades how to ease congestion along the 鈥淪unrise Corridor,鈥� but no action has taken place. Now, design work is under way, and some people are wondering whether the latest plan will be realized.

If you go

What: Open house for the Sunrise Jobs and Transportation Act project

When: Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Clackamas Banquet and Catering Center (adjacent to Denny’s), at 15815 S.E. 82nd Drive

The Oregon Department of Transportation in the early 1990s initiated an effort to reconfigure the corridor 鈥� the area between Interstate 205 at Oregon Route 212/224 and U.S. Route 26. But the proposed six-lane highway project never came close to entering the construction phase. Most of the $1.4 billion effort remains unfunded, but ODOT and Clackamas County finally secured money, via the 2009 Jobs and Transportation Act, to build the first piece.

鈥淭he most common question we are receiving is: 鈥楢re you actually doing something?’ 鈥� said Elizabeth Craig, ODOT community affairs coordinator. 鈥淧eople have been hearing about it and dealing with ongoing issues with congestion and safety for decades now.鈥�

The Sunrise Corridor has generated complaints since the 1980s. ODOT and Clackamas County worked for years to develop plans for a new major highway, plus auxiliary lanes and local roadway improvements. The so-called 鈥淪unrise Preferred Alternative,鈥� which established a route and environmental impact statement, won federal approval in December 2010, but no money came along with the rubber stamp.

鈥淭his is really part of the realities of Oregon’s financial picture 鈥� there just isn’t money in ODOT or the state budget to take on major construction projects,鈥� said Don Hamilton, an ODOT spokesman. 鈥淚t’s not unusual to accomplish just what you can under the financial realities of the day.鈥�

Design work is under way for the first part of the Sunrise Preferred Alternative, and construction is set to begin in 2013. But for years, traffic conditions have stirred up resentment from companies with major industrial and distribution operations in the area.

鈥淪omething needed to be done 鈥� the situation was becoming critical,鈥� said Melinda Merrill, spokeswoman for Fred Meyer, which has a major distribution center on Route 212. 鈥淛ust getting onto I-205 can take 15 minutes. We’re building overtime and extra fuel into our budget because we have truck drivers sitting their idling.鈥�

Transportation officials also recognized the need for a smaller plan that could alleviate some of the existing congestion soon.

鈥淭hat area has a lot of opportunities for development and expansion, but the system out there right now cannot handle any increase in capacity,鈥� Craig said. 鈥淓very minute a truck is stuck in traffic is lost revenue for a business, so one of the big drivers of this project is to help businesses stay in the area and come to the area.鈥�

Clackamas County is using money from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to add a third westbound lane on Route 212/224, provide additional right-turn lanes between Route 212/224 and I-205, and construct a path for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Sunrise project area. That work is expected to be done by the end of the year.

The fate of the full Sunrise Preferred Alternative remains uncertain, and largely depends upon the availability of funding.

Hamilton said that ODOT officials are 鈥渃losely watching鈥� the national conversation on infrastructure spending, which could affect the agency’s project planning if a stream of federal funding was to come through.

鈥淭he president said he has transportation improvements in mind, but we haven’t made any decisions about whether any stimulus money coming our way would impact the Sunrise project,鈥� Hamilton said. 鈥淲e don’t have a lack of projects calling for our attention.鈥�