If you're heading south through Beaverton, get ready to tweak your weekend travel plans. Starting at 9 PM this Friday, June 6, southbound traffic on Oregon Route 217 will face a complete closure stretching from SW Canyon Road to OR 99W. The road is under the knife for the second of a planned series of five weekends dedicated to final paving as part of the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes project. Drivers can expect the usual traffic flow to resume by Monday morning, 5 AM sharp, on June 9.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), the recommended detour takes you through a northern route via U.S. 26, then down through I-405 in Portland and back up on I-5 south of the construction. For those looking to bypass the construction zone entirely, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to plan for more time on the road this weekend and keep a keen eye on traffic signs dictating speed limits.
As any veteran driver knows, it’s always a gamble when hitting the road with closures in play. ODOT suggests a peek at TripCheck, a tool savvy commuters use to avoid traffic disruptions, before you set out to ensure the weekend’s schedule remains unchanged. Weather or unexpected events have been known to toss a wrench into even the most meticulous plans. After paving, expect temporary lane markings to guide you until the concrete has cured. Final stripes will follow suit, although that doesn’t necessarily mean the new auxiliary lanes will swing open for use; crews still need to polish off work along the shoulders and side slopes.
On a related note, westbound Interstate 84 will also see closure, this one for 16 hours straight, initiating at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, June 7, and standing firm until 4 PM Sunday, June 8. This move, intended to grant the Portland Bureau of Transportation, TriMet, and ODOT clear access for graffiti cleanup and some touch-up work along I-84 and the MAX line, will be an eastbound-only affair.
