Progress on Regional Transportation Priorities Will Help Tualatin Drivers

There’s movement on several important regional transportation projects that will ultimately improve traffic congestion and safety for Tualatin residents. Garet Prior, who monitors regional projects for the City, sees significant progress: “ODOT, Metro, Washington and Clackamas Counties are all moving ahead on immediate and long-term transportation solutions.”

Projects include:

• Highway 99W: A comprehensive $3.5 million corridor study is a key element in Metro’s Get Moving 2020 bond program headed to the ballot in November. The corridor study is a necessary step before any major investments can be made in Highway 99W improvements.
• Shuttles: Clackamas County is evaluating the potential for a shuttle that connects Tualatin, West Linn and Oregon City via Borland Road. Washington County is working with Ride Connection to expand their current shuttle service in Tualatin.
• “Bus on Shoulder”: An ODOT-sponsored study is looking into designating the shoulder lanes on I-5 and I-205 for bus-only travel during peak hours.
• Tolling: Another ODOT study is exploring ways to reduce freeway congestion by tolling segments of I-5 (Tualatin to Wilsonville) and I-205 (Tualatin to Abernathy Bridge/Oregon City).
• Southwest Corridor Light Rail: The next planned destination for TriMet’s MAX line is Tualatin, promising a 30-minute ride to downtown Portland with connections to the north-south-east-and west. Design is underway for this new 11-mile line that would carry an estimated 37,500 passengers daily along one of the region’s most congested routes. The project also includes 10 miles of new sidewalks, plus 6 miles of bicycle facilities. The new light rail line is largely funded with federal dollars, but the next steps depend on passage of Metro’s November ballot measure. If approved, the new MAX line would be built over four years beginning in 2023.

A Tualatin community member who has been deeply involved in the regional planning as an active community volunteer, Amanda Guile, currently serves on TriMet’s Community Advisory Committee for Southwest Corridor Light Rail. Amanda says her volunteer experience has been “really enlightening”. The upcoming Metro bond measure is key for the project’s future. She thinks every Tualatin resident and business should be paying close attention to how the final MAX stop, planned for Bridgeport, will be connected to downtown Tualatin and employment centers with a bicycle/pedestrian path.

Meanwhile, there’s been progress on two important regional projects led by Washington County:

124th Avenue (Tualatin-Sherwood Road to Grahams Ferry): This project was recently completed. Now, in conjunction with PGE’s new Integrated Operations Center, the company is adding improvements at the intersections of 124^th/Blake Street and 124^th/Tualatin-Sherwood Road – sidewalks, curbs and street trees. 

Tualatin-Sherwood Road: The biggest highway project in the Tualatin area has reached 75% design. T-S Road will be widened to five lanes between Teton Avenue and Langer Farms Parkway. This $31.5 million project is funded through the County's Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP), with the City of Tualatin contributing utility relocation work. Construction starts summer 2021 and will be completed in fall 2024.

These regional projects complement the work being completed under the City’s $20 million voter-approved transportation bond program called Tualatin Moving Forward that is tackling smaller scale projects to relieve local congestion and improve neighborhood traffic safety and school access. Seven bond-funded projects have already been completed, and another fifteen are underway this year. It is anticipated 35 projects will be built citywide by the time the bond program ends in 2023. To learn more, go to www.TualatinMovingForward.com