Semi-trucks that rumble around the right-angle turns in downtown Ione are known to knock corners and awnings off the city's historic buildings, in addition to snarling traffic with their slow, tortured movements.

Shift change times at Mule Creek State Prison and Preston Youth Correctional Facility, Ione Junior High School traffic, Castle Oaks Golf Course traffic and the aforementioned semis cutting through Ione all have contributed to the city's worsening traffic situation.

This is not a recent problem. Residents and officials have been seeking a solution for quite some time. The first official meeting to discuss an alternative route around the historic downtown occurred in 1993, when an Ione Corridor Study was done.

Last Thursday evening, Dokken Engineering, in conjunction with the city of Ione and the Amador County Transportation Commission, held a community workshop meeting that focused on what they call the "Western Ione Roadway Improvement Strategy." Presiding consultant and project manager Matt Boyer told the 50 residents and local officials that "bypass" is a term they've chosen to avoid.

The stated purposes of the project are to alleviate congestion, improve safety, enhance quality of life and enhance the economic life of the city.

Project objectives were listed as minimizing environmental impacts, negotiating development agreements for future implementation, using existing roadways where possible and, of greatest interest to those in attendance, selecting alignment alternatives.

Large color-coded maps were displayed around the multi-purpose room at Ione Junior High School. Brightly colored lines depicted either existing roads that could be improved or entirely new roadways. The routes being considered are on the west and south sides of the city. Previously considered routes around the northern and eastern edges have been set aside, due primarily to cost, feasibility and environmental factors, according to the staff report.

The prominent north-south segment A is shown as having two starting points on the north at Highway 104, directly across from Mule Creek State Prison. Segment A passes through property owned by Green Rock Ranch Lands. Development of the property may be tied to roadway construction.

Segment B continues southward through property owned by JTS Homes, developer of the subdivision at Castle Oaks. Construction of this segment is expected to be financed by JTS.

The next two segments - C and D - are existing roads that would require improvement.

East-west segments shown on the map are more varied, with four different routes shown as possible ways to carry traffic back to highways 124, 104 or 88 on the other side of the congested downtown. Following his half-hour PowerPoint presentation, Boyer opened the floor to questions or comments from the public.

Castle Oaks Golf Club manager Dominic Atlan suggested in a letter that the western roadway improvement consist of a straight line from Highway 104 southward to Highway 88. This route would be simplified, Atlan stated, by passing through property belonging to only one owner, who was not named in Atlan's missive.

The direct north-south route was later recommended by Ione resident Collin Frost, one of the founding members of the Amador County Historical Railroad Foundation. Frost pointed out that the east-west routes shown on the map would confront numerous potentially problematical and expensive railroad crossings, whereas the direct line would necessitate a single crossing.

District II resident Jerry Cassesi told of a recent early morning at the Chevron station located at the corner of highways 124 and 104. Cassesi expressed his surprise at the large number of semi-trucks, southbound on 124 and turning left toward downtown at 5:30 a.m. Asked about the engineers' knowledge of the sources and destinations of vehicles coming through town, Boyer explained the difficulties involved in such analysis. Short of stopping every vehicle, there is little that can be done, he said.

"Cameras at both ends," Boyer said, "can measure the time of passage, to see how many of the cars stop along the way." Though helpful, this information will not define the traffic impacts exactly.

Bicycle lanes were also discussed. "The bicycle lane on the new (San Francisco-Oakland) Bay Bridge (cost) more than $100 million," Boyer said. Bicycle lanes could be included as either separate roadways or as part of initial creation of proposed roads.

Additional analysis and workshops are expected.