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From a practical standpoint, the Junction City site for this propsed Mental Health Hospital, is not a choice location.

First and foremost, there are numerous wetlands issues with the property, which would need to be mitigated at taxpayer expense.  Then from a transportation perspective, the proposed site has numerous strikes against it.  These issues weren't discovered until after the property had been purchased by the State of Oregon.

The property is bordered on the east and west by two major railroads.  If access were to be obtained to the west, the State would have to obtain at least one permit to cross the Portland & Western Railroad, which is no mean feat.

Beyond the rail issues; to connect to a major high-speed highway (OR 99) is fraught with potential problems.  The access they would seek would most likely need to be signalized, at least, and placing a traffic signal on a 55 mph highway has been shown to be hazerdous, resulting in an increase in high-speed crashes.

In short, the Junction City location for a proposed mental health hospital should have been given a lot more scrutiny before the State commited to buy the property.  The State agencies in charge of this project, should just swollow their pride, learn from this experience, and admit they made a mistake.

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
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