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Oregon Department of Transportation officials last week joined Depoe Bay leaders for a walking tour of the city to discuss plans for improving access through it.

City officials are completing a 20-year transportation system plan by looking at local street connectivity as well as exploring options for making improvements to U.S. Route 101 south of the Depoe Bay Bridge, city planner Larry Lewis said.

“What’s happened is that the downtown core area developed on the north side of the bridge, but that hasn’t really expanded to the south side of the bridge,” he said.

The plan is expected to include commercial zoning changes, new sidewalk construction, bike lane and crosswalk additions, parking changes and storefront access increases, Lewis said. In the long term, officials want to increase north-south connections and add a couple of bus stops, he said.

“We have limited north-south access, which is limited to Highway 101,” he said. “If something ever happened to the bridge, the town would be cut in half.”

The city will continue working with ODOT and a citizens’ advisory committee to adopt the 20-year plan. It’s expected to ultimately be approved by City Council by the end of the year, Lewis said.

Funding would come from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program as well as local urban renewal district funds, according to the city.