The city of Woodburn is making steps towards safer streets.

At its June 9 meeting, the Woodburn City Council awarded the construction contract for the Woodburn High School Front Street Safe Routes to School project to Turney Excavating, Inc.

The city is planning to spend $680,000 on this project, assisted by $1.1 million in funds from the Oregon Department of Transportation, to create a pedestrian island and walkway over Front Street that enhances safety for students crossing the road.

“Construction can start very quickly, and we have placed conditions on the contractor as part of the bid documents to limit potential closures to one week,” Special Projects Director Renata Wakeley said at the meeting. “The plan is for the crosswalk to be completed before school starts (Aug. 25).”

Wakeley said the school district has been involved in planning conversations and that the repainting of Front Street may occur in a later phase. She added that the contractor will be responsible for maintaining pedestrian access at all times during construction.

Public works staff also notified the impacted businesses in the area about the project and provided them with maps and detour details in advance.

Catalysts for the project

The city and school district have been working for several years to improve the safety of roads for Woodburn High School students. However, this safe routes project is largely a response to a recent fatality near the intersection.

In December 2022, 17-year-old Woodburn High student Jesus Garcia Santiago was struck by a train while walking to school.

Garcia Santiago was killed crossing the train tracks parallel to North Front Street, a common shortcut students use to avoid the longer main route. Now, the city and district are pushing for a more direct and safe path to campus to prevent such risks.

“Within days the city reached out to the school district but also ODOT to come up with some solutions for some safety concerns that we had heard from families through the school district,” Wakeley said in a May 2024 interview.

Crossing improvement plans

Woodburn High School is precariously placed between multiple major roadways, making street crossings difficult and students’ paths home from school indirect and obstructed.

The most significant improvement will be a new pedestrian island at the north end of Front Street near the high school. This island will intersect with an interchange from Highway 214.

Wakeley describes the set up as a “pedestrian refuge,” as the island affords greater visibility and protection for pedestrians before they continue crossing from that point.

The city and district also plan to create a pedestrian walkway on the overpass section of Front Street, which leads to apartment complexes and other residential areas where students live. Currently, there is no designated pedestrian walkway on the North Front Street overpass, which connects the campus to the south part of town.

“The main idea for Front Street, which is really a preferred pathway for getting folks across (Highway) 214, is a safe, marked pathway for students,” Wakeley said.

To achieve this safe pathway, bollards and painted lines will be added to the Front Street overpass so that pedestrians walking over the bridge will be more separated from vehicles.

Lastly, more streetlights will be added to the area to increase visibility for students walking to school early in the morning or returning home at night.

While these physical safety improvements in the area will help ensure safer crossings for students and other pedestrians, Wakeley said that another key element to safety is educating students on safety.

“Education is still a big piece of this for students,” Wakeley said in a May 2024 interview. “We know they want to get to school quickly and in an efficient manner. But we are just trying to create those pathways for them.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the 2025-26 Woodburn High School start date