The Newberg City Council on April 7 voted to allow staff to pursue a semi‑permanent closure of East Illinois at its junction with Main Street, a measure city staff said would simplify traffic movements at the short, congested intersection and reduce driver confusion.

City staff presented the proposal and summarized outreach and engineering background. Will (staff member) told the council that Kittleson & Associates’ technical memorandum rated the intersection’s line‑of‑sight conditions as failing and that residents and the Traffic Safety Commission had raised repeated safety concerns. Will said a full realignment, roundabout or signal would likely exceed $500,000 and require ODOT right‑of‑way action and potentially property acquisition, so staff tested a lower‑cost alternative: closing East Illinois at Main with a semi‑permanent barrier.

The nut graf: staff said the closure would remove the need for southbound drivers on Main to merge, look ‘‘left, right and left again’’ when entering OR‑240 traffic, and that the measure could be implemented quickly and reversed if problems arise.

Staff described public engagement focused on the households nearest the intersection. Will said 5 people attended an open house (all in favor) and 15 online responses were received from 22 mailers; of the online respondents 12 supported the closure and 5 opposed. Summarizing the outreach, Will said, “Overall, 78% were in favour of the measure with 22% proposing other sorts of ideas.” He estimated a construction cost of about $15,000–$20,000 and said the project is already in the city’s capital improvement program.

Council discussion focused on emergency response, freight access and whether the change would unduly burden nearby residents. Chief Kosmicke, Newberg’s police chief, said he did not expect response times to be impaired and supported a trial: “I would not be supportive of blocking anything north on Main Street for us to get through that,” he said, but added the proposed closure is reversible and could be tried at low cost. Will also reported that PPM Technologies’ supply chain director (first name Eddie; last name withheld) told staff that company freight carriers avoid the intersection and would not be materially affected. Staff noted further coordination would be required with TVF and R (as referenced by staff) and solid waste providers.

Councilor Robin moved, and the motion was seconded, to grant staff permission to work on a semi‑permanent street closure at East Illinois and Main in the interest of traffic safety. The council approved the motion by voice vote; councilors signified unanimous assent.

Next steps listed by staff include outreach to TVF and R and waste management, selection of a contractor, and design choices for an attractive barricade (planters or similar).

Councilors and staff framed the measure as a relatively low‑cost, reversible experiment; staff emphasized further stakeholder outreach before permanent installation.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: “Staff are granted permission to work on a semi permanent street closure at East Illinois and Main Street in the interest of traffic safety.” Mover: Councilor Robin. Second: not specified on the record. Outcome: approved by voice vote (unanimous). Estimated cost: $15,000–$20,000; funding: CIP.