By Craig Murphy

Springfield Times Editor

When the Springfield City Council reconvenes in September following its traditional summer recess, the fate of downtown could be on the line.

Earlier this month, representatives from consulting firm Crandall Arambula and the Downtown Citizen Advisory Committee presented ideas for a significantly altered downtown.

One key element would be reverting Main Street through downtown back to two-way traffic.

Such a move would be of historic importance.

For years, far before malls steered shopping traffic away from downtowns around the country, Main Street in Springfield was two-way. During post-World War II growth, the idea came about to change things.

According to the 1999 book "Springfield Historic Context Statement," the idea for improving transportation flow downtown led to years of discussion.

"As the community grew, the need for improved transportation increased," according to the book. "Automobiles were firmly established as the primary method of transport and efforts to improve streets and roadways through widening and paving was constant throughout this time period. The increase in traffic through downtown Springfield sparked discussions about making Main and A streets one-way thoroughfares in 1946.

"This debate continued until a plan was approved in 1950 to create a one-way street south of Main Street, known as the South A by-pass, to eliminate some of the heavy truck traffic through the center of downtown," the book added. "Traffic on the new by-pass would head east and Main Street would become one-way, heading west. Work on the project, however, did not begin until early 1953; South A officially opened in November that year."

Once South A opened, Main Street converted to one-way and work soon began on a second vehicle bridge over the Willamette River. That bridge opened in 1957.

For more on this and other news from around the Springfield area, including a special tourism/history tab section, be sure to pick up a copy of the July 30 issue of Springfield Times, available at news racks and stores all around the area. Look under the 'Newspaper Locations' link on this site to find out where. To subscribe to the paper, call 541-741-7368 or stop by 741 Main St.