Travelers moving through the southern portion of Oregon 217 in Tigard will experience heavy congestion beginning Friday night as the Department of Transportation closes a northbound lane for nearly a mile between the Interstate 5 interchange and Oregon 99W.
The lane will be closed for 11 days as part of work being done on the Auxiliary Lanes Project. The project hopes to improve safety along OR 217 and reduce bottlenecks at on and off ramps by building ramp-to-ramp connections between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W.
During the closure, drivers will be restricted to just one northbound lane for about three quarters of a mile. ODOT warned in a recent release that the closure could cause “severe” congestion. The closure does not extend onto I-5, but northbound travelers on that freeway may see delays at times as traffic heading to OR 217 merges into one lane.
Map courtesy of ODOT
OR 217 will be reduced to one lane all hours and days until 5 a.m. Monday, July 31.
Here’s a list of additional closures during the work period:
- 72nd Avenue on-ramp to northbound OR 217 will close for the full 11 days July 21-July 31.
- Off-ramp from northbound OR 217 to OR99W will close for four days starting Friday night, July 21 and reopen Monday morning, July 24.
- Northbound OR 99W loop ramp onto northbound OR 217 that is now closed will reopen by July 21.
ODOT warns drivers to expect long delays and plan ahead or choose alternate routes. Drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists should be aware that side streets in the Tigard area may experience delays and additional traffic. Travel with care and obey all signage through the work zone.
Another closure of the OR 43 ramp to northbound Interstate 205 begins 10 p.m., Friday, July 21 and continues all hours and days through Friday, August 4.
ODOT crews will be working on the finishing touches to a new roundabout that will connect OR 43 with I-205 northbound.
Drivers will be detoured onto I-205 southbound and instructed to exit at 10th Street in West Linn (exit 6), cross under the freeway and take the ramp to I-205 northbound.
Heads up: Beginning 10 p.m. Friday, August 4 the off-ramp connecting I-205 northbound with OR 43 will close through Monday, August 28. OR 43 will also close during this time in both directions from Willamette Falls Drive to I-205. This closure will involve two detour routes for northbound and southbound traffic. The details of the proposed detour have not yet been confirmed.
— Rosemarie Stein
503-221-4376, events@oregonian.com; @trafficportland
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