June 21, 2022 3:40 a.m. 

Work on a design plan study to guide future growth and improvements on Diamond Lake Boulevard/Oregon 138 East is underway, after the City of Roseburg recently kicked off a project with the state and a consultant.

A release said the project’s goal is to create a plan for the development of roughly a 3.5 mile stretch of the road.

As the first real design plan for the rural highway, the project would develop a blueprint for the City and developers to follow as that section of Roseburg transforms from an underdeveloped rural and former industrial area to become more urbanized. The plan follows on the heels of the Diamond Lake Urban Renewal Plan adopted by the City in 2018 and the start of apartment complex construction on the eastern edge of town. The Oregon Department of Transportation will later put in roads, sidewalks, and other infrastructure around those complexes.

Staff with the Roseburg Community Development Department had a kickoff meeting on June 2nd with ODOT employees and the project’s transportation consultant, Kittleson & Associates of Portland.

The release said working with City input, the consultant will now spend the next eighteen months designing the OR138E Design Concept Plan by tailoring a state design template for Roseburg. The project is expected to cost just under $370,000 and is funded by ODOT.

Future open houses and other outreach events will provide information about existing conditions, options to handle expected future growth and the costs tied to various options, as well as to determine what the community wants and supports.

For more information, call the Community Development Department at 492-6750.