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Exhibit B MEMORANDUM DATE: July 20, 2020 TO: Marion County Board of Commissioners FROM: John Huestis, ODOT Region 2 Area 3 Manager (Interim) SUBJECT: Proposed Marion County Rural Transportation System Plan Amendment - 1-5: Aurora Donald Interchange (Exit 278) Interchange Area Management Plan BACKGROUND Project History Transportation improvements to the Aurora Donald Interchange are critical to improve safety and mobility now and into the future. The interchange is a vital transportation artery serving the north Marion County area, including the communities of Aurora, Donald, St. Paul, Canby, Barlow, and Butteville. It provides connections to the Aurora State Airport, Newberg and the OR 18/99W corridor, Yamhill County, and the Oregon Coast. The interchange also provides access to and from rural agricultural operations and Champoeg State Park, as well as to several businesses located at the interchange. The Marion County Rural Transportation System Plan (RTSP) Sub-Area Plan for the interchange area notes that traffic volumes on the off-ramp from southbound I-5 to Ehlen Road and on Bents Road approaching Ehlen Road exceed the capacity of those intersections at certain hours of the day. Additionally, the proximity of existing intersections to each other (about 50 feet apart) is unsafe. Both 1-5 on-ramps have an uphill grade, causing slow-speed merging of trucks onto I-5 and vehicles closely following large trucks. The grade of Ehlen Road below 1-5, with significant horizontal and vertical curves, restricts sight distance at both ramp terminals, creating unsafe conditions. Land use in the area, including two truck stops, draws substantial large-truck traffic, resulting in frequent slow acceleration and turning movements that impact County roads and I-5. To address these issues and to plan for accommodating future trips generated by growth in the region, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) undertook an Interchange Area Management Plan (TAMP) planning process. An TAMP is a long-term (20+ year) transportation facility plan that establishes agreement between local government, stakeholders, and ODOT about what transportation projects, solutions, and land use policies and actions are needed in an interchange area to improve safety and the operation of the facility. The following goal developed by the project team guided the Aurora Donald Interchange TAMP process: The goal of the Aurora Donald Interchange TAMP and reconstruction project is to improve safety, operations, and capacity problems while maintaining efficient movement of passenger and freight traffic through the interchange area with a phased solution that will accommodate the Phase 1 funding provided in the Keep Oregon Moving Act.