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We are working to improve safety and help prevent bottlenecks on OR 217 between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W.

Thank you for participating in our online open house. Learn where we are in the project and share your questions and comments.

OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes

For Americans with Disabilities Act or Civil Rights Title VI accommodations, translation/interpretation services, or more information call 503-731-4128, TTY (800) 735-2900 or Oregon Relay Service 7-1-1.

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Stations

Find general project information including purpose and need, project map, timeline and funding here.
See graphics and get information about auxiliary lanes and other highway improvements.
Plans for bike/pedestrian improvements and SW Hall Boulevard overpass construction.
Learn about the sound walls along the project area.
What to expect during construction starting in late 2021 or early 2022.
Improvements and impacts to freight.
How we keep you informed.
We want to hear from you and share next steps. Submit a comment here.

Project Overview

We need to improve safety and travel reliability in the OR 217 corridor. From Beaverton to Tigard, OR 217 has 10 interchanges in just over 7 miles, which make for some of the shortest merging spacing in the region. These short merging distances and the high traffic volumes in the area lead to merging conflicts, a high crash rate and travel delays.

Along with improvements on the highway itself, we will also make bicycle and pedestrian improvements, build four sound walls, improve several overpasses and add stormwater management to protect Ash Creek, Red Creek, and Fanno Creek.

Project Timeline:

Construction is expected to begin in late 2021 and continue through 2025.

Graphic project timeline spanning from 2017 to 2022. A red box with text we are here marks a point labeled online open house design progress.
Project schedule and major milestones.

Funding:

The total project cost is $134 million. Highway safety improvements are primarily funded through the Keep Oregon Moving (House Bill 2017) transportation funding package passed by the Oregon Legislature.

Thanks to partnerships with the City of Beaverton and Washington County, this project will also include targeted improvements to local bicycle and pedestrian routes.

Project map and elements:

Click the boxes below to see project elements on the map.

Find more details about these specific elements by choosing stations above.

1  Southbound auxiliary lane from Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway to OR 99W.

2  Northbound auxiliary lanes from OR 99W to Scholls Ferry Road.


Replace the Allen Boulevard southbound on-ramp and the Denney Road southbound off-ramp with a frontage road to allow drivers to more safely travel south from Allen Boulevard to Denney Road.

Replace the Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and Pfaffle Street, including new sidewalks and bike lanes.

Build sound walls at four locations to reduce noise for project neighbors.

Widen two ramps: the Denney Road southbound on-ramp and the OR 99W northbound off-ramp.

4
Replace the Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and Pfaffle Street, including new sidewalks and bike lanes.
 
7
Extend Fanno Creek Trail along the east side of OR 217 up to Allen Boulevard. This connection completes the OR 217 parallel bike path network from OR 99W to Allen Boulevard.

 
8
Widen sidewalk on the north side of Denney Road from Fanno Creek Trail to SW 105th Avenue.

 
9
Build sidewalks and bike lanes on Hall Boulevard from Cascade Avenue to Scholls Ferry Road.

 

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22% Complete

Highway and Ramp Elements

The project features construction of auxiliary lanes, or on-ramp to off-ramp connections, along northbound and southbound portions of the highway as well as some changes and improvements to various on- and off-ramps.

Auxiliary lanes:

Auxiliary lanes will help make OR 217 safer and more reliable. They are ramp to ramp connections and reduce bottlenecks by giving drivers more space and time to merge safely. This decreases conflicts, improves safety and the flow of traffic, and ultimately allows the existing lanes to work more efficiently. Studies show that auxiliary lanes reduce crashes by approximately 20%. Fewer crashes means a safer and more efficient highway.

For southbound travelers, a fully-connected auxiliary lane will run from Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway to OR 99W.

For northbound travelers, a new auxiliary lane will connect OR 99W to SW Greenburg Road. A second auxiliary lane will continue to SW Scholls Ferry Road.

Graphic of OR 217 depicting planned northbound and southbound auxiliary lanes in gold.
Planned auxiliary lane interchanges on OR 217.
Graphic of through traffic lanes and on, off and merging lanes. The proposed auxiliary lane is a gold color.
Auxiliary on, off, and merging lanes.

Allen/Denney frontage road:

The interchanges at SW Allen Boulevard and SW Denney Road are some of the worst bottleneck locations on OR 217. This is because the two interchanges are very closely spaced, leading to merging conflicts and crashes. The change we're making will reduce the amount of merging and in turn increase safety and reliability in the southbound direction.

We are replacing the SW Allen Boulevard southbound on-ramp and the SW Denney Road southbound off-ramp with a new southbound two-lane frontage road. The frontage road will work similarly to the one to the north connecting Canyon Road and Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.  

This change will permanently close the SW Allen Boulevard southbound on-ramp and the SW Denney Road southbound off-ramp and allow drivers to travel south more safely from SW Allen Boulevard to SW Denney Road, bypassing OR 217 entirely. It will also include a new bridge over Fanno Creek.  Once it's complete, drivers should expect:

  • Those who normally get on OR 217 using the SW Allen Boulevard southbound on-ramp, will use the new frontage road to travel south and merge onto the highway using the SW Denney Road southbound on-ramp.
  • Those who normally get off of OR 217 using the SW Denney Road southbound off-ramp, will exit the highway at SW Allen Boulevard and use the new frontage road to travel south to SW Denney Road.

Graphic a frontage road lined in purple between Allen Boulevard and Denney Road. Two red X's mark ramps that will be removed.
Map of the new southbound frontage road connecting SW Allen Boulevard and SW Denney Road.

Graphic rendering of width of new southbound frontage road. The left shoulder is four feet wide, two travel lanes are twelve feet wide and the right shoulder is eight feet wide.

Future cross-section view of the southbound frontage road lane widths.

Ramp improvements:

Two ramps will be widened to allow for more space for vehicles:

  • SW Denney Road southbound on-ramp
  • OR 99W northbound off-ramp

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33% Complete

Bike and Pedestrian Improvements and Hall Blvd Overpass

In addition to improvements directly on OR 217, the project also improves bicycle and pedestrian routes, replaces the Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and SW Pfaffle Street and improves overpasses.

Bicycle and pedestrian improvements:

We aren't just making improvements to the highway itself. We also need to make the area surrounding OR 217 safer for all users. In partnership with the City of Beaverton and Washington County, we are making targeted improvements to local bicycle and pedestrian routes including:

  • Widening the sidewalk on the north side of SW Denney Road from the Fanno Creek Trail to SW 105th Avenue. After completion, there will be a 12.5-foot sidewalk along Denney Road in that section.
  • Extending the Fanno Creek Trail along the east side of OR 217 to SW Allen Boulevard. This is a section that is currently missing and will complete the OR 217 parallel bike path network from OR 99W to Allen Boulevard.
Image of Fanno Creek Greenway trail sign.
Fanno Creek Greenway.
  • Building new sidewalks and bike lanes on the SW Hall Boulevard overpass between SW Cascade Avenue and SW Scholls Ferry Road (near Washington Square) by widening the bridge. The overpass is challenging for people riding bikes or using the sidewalks as it currently only has a sidewalk on one side and lacks bike lanes.

SW Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and SW Pfaffle Street:

We need to replace the SW Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and SW Pfaffle Street to make room for the new auxiliary lanes on OR 217. 

Building the new overpass as quickly as possible requires closing it to vehicles for up to six months. A temporary bike and pedestrian bridge will be available throughout construction, as well as a signed detour for those in cars. The new overpass will be earthquake resilient, American with Disabilities Act compliant, and have wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Exact timing for this work will be determined once construction starts.

Additional overpass improvements:

We plan to make improvements to the SW Scholls Ferry Road, SW Allen Boulevard, and SW Denney Road overpasses:

  • Repave bridge surfaces.
  • Add protective screening.
  • Improve bridge railing.

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44% Complete

Sound Walls

Benefitted residents and property owners voted in favor of each sound wall in four locations along the project area in fall 2019.

Sound walls are barriers constructed between the highway and neighboring properties to reduce noise related to the highway. As part of the project, ODOT and acoustic engineers conducted a noise study to determine existing noise levels along OR 217 and what the noise levels will be after construction is complete. Results of the study showed that existing levels exceed the acceptable range in some locations and that there will be a small increase upon project completion. Based on this, sound walls were found to provide adequate benefits in four locations.

A majority of residents and property owners who would benefit from these sound walls voted in favor of each sound wall in 2019.

View the interactive map below to see the four sound wall locations and photo renderings of the sound walls.


56% Complete

Construction Impacts

Construction is expected to begin in late 2021 and continue through 2025.

Construction on different portions of the project will happen in phases over the course of four years. The sequencing and detailed schedule will be communicated as the project progresses through the phases.

We have been meeting with representatives from the construction industry to best plan for this upcoming multi-year construction project. Together, we are looking at construction sequencing and developing the best approach to minimize construction impacts and keep the work as efficient as possible.

In addition to nighttime lane and ramp closures and construction noise, anticipated traffic impacts over the life of the project include:

Highway lane closures:

  • 24/7 single lane closures for up to nine days at a time (this will happen twice; once near Scholls Ferry Road and once near OR 99W) and up to two days at a time (this will also happen twice; once near Greenburg Road and once near Denney Road).
  • Full closures of one direction at a time of OR 217 and associated on/off ramps for up to five weekends for highway paving in the project area.

Ramp closures:

  • Up to five-month closure of southbound SW Denney Road off-ramp and southbound SW Denney Road on-ramp before the new frontage road is open.
  • Two-month closure of the loop ramp from OR 99W to OR 217 northbound.

SW Hall Boulevard overpass between OR 99W and SW Pfaffle Street:

  • Up to six-month overpass closure to vehicle traffic. A signed detour will be in place.
  • A bike and pedestrian temporary bridge will be open while the main bridge is closed.

Local roads:

  • Lane closures on SW Hall Boulevard and SW Scholls Ferry Road for bridge work.

Detour routes will be established in partnership with the City of Beaverton, City of Tigard, City of Portland, Washington County and TriMet. 

Image of construction workers paving on the highway.
Construction workers laying concrete on a highway.

67% Complete

Freight

Freight carriers rely on OR 217 to move goods through Washington County. We expect a safer and more efficient highway upon project completion, and this will in turn allow for greater freight mobility in the region.

The addition of auxiliary lanes will be a benefit for freight and larger trucks by reducing merging and weaving around the various on- and off-ramps. This will smooth traffic flow, reduce the potential for crashes, and improve travel reliability for freight traveling through the area.

As part of our outreach efforts, we are talking with local businesses that rely on heavy freight about possible traffic impacts during construction and after completion of the project.

Stakeholders and ODOT are also working with the state's Mobility Advisory Committee (MAC) and will continue this discussion in early 2021 with a focus on anticipated closures for this project.

Image of freight trucks on OR 217
Freight trucks on OR 217.

78% Complete

Outreach

ODOT is committed to keeping you informed.

We want to make sure highway users and local residents are well informed. Our teams have and will continue to work to increase awareness of the project and keep channels open to learn about the communities’ needs. Past outreach activities have included in-person open houses, tabling at local events like the Tigard Farmer’s Market and Latino Festival, email updates, and direct mailers. If you live near one of the four sound wall locations, you may have also met one of our project team members on a canvassing route or informational events held during the voting period in 2019.

Top priorities from those we've heard from include making OR 217 more reliable and safer, protecting the wetlands around the highway, balancing the need to keep overpasses open while making safety and accessibility improvements, and making sure people know when to expect traffic impacts and construction noise.

We will continue to share information on these priorities and answer questions and comments through:

  • Email updates (please sign up using the survey in the next section or through the project website).
  • Direct mailers and outreach to nearby neighborhoods and businesses.
  • Virtual briefings.
  • Website updates.
  • Future (virtual) open houses
  • Updates to www.tripcheck.com for traffic impacts.
  • Noise hotline.
Open house participants look at a poster board of the project area map.
In-person open house in May 2019.

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89% Complete

Feedback and Next Steps

Thank you for participating in the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project online open house.

Next Steps

The project design will be finalized in spring of 2021 and a construction contractor will be selected in the fall. We will hold another online open house, send email updates, and direct mailers before the team begins construction towards the end of 2021 or early 2022. In-person events will be considered per public health guidelines.

We want to hear from you

Please take a moment to submit your comments and complete our short survey below. Your input will be important in tailoring our future outreach to make sure we are getting the word out about project updates in the most effective ways.

As the project progresses, ODOT will continue to share information. Stay involved and keep in touch by:


100% Complete