Heads up, Tigard travelers: You're going to need to plan around a full closure of OR 217 this weekend. According to a bulletin from the Oregon Department of Transportation, both directions of OR 217 will be off-limits from SW Greenburg Road to OR 99W beginning at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, and stretching until 8 a.m. Sunday, July 27. Workers need to safely remove the temporary pedestrian bridge that's been spanning the highway.
There are options for people walking or biking during the shutdown. Before demolition starts, a sidewalk on the nearly finished Hall Boulevard overpass will help you cross the highway. Just expect some overnight noise from the bridge work. As for drivers, Oregon Department of Transportation suggests avoiding the highway completely and using the signed detour: take I-5 south, I-405 through Portland, or U.S. 26 to the north.
Southbound entrances from Hall Boulevard, Scholls Ferry Road, and Greenburg Road, plus the northbound ramps at 72nd Avenue and OR 99W, will all be shut. Once the old bridge is taken down, it will be set on the overpass lane and taken apart bit by bit, as reported by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The Hall Boulevard overpass is getting ready to open to traffic in August, once the temporary bridge is gone. It's part of the bigger OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project, which should finish by the end of December. The goal is to add extra lanes between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W, making it easier for drivers to merge and reducing traffic headaches, as per the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Oregon Department of Transportation, along with the City of Beaverton and Washington County, is also working to make the area better for walkers and bikers. But there’s a catch—Oregon Department of Transportation is facing budget issues, which might slow things like traffic control and inspections. Most construction, including this project, will stay on schedule because it’s funded separately. Still, with fewer workers, some delays are possible. So, keep an eye out for updates and plan your detours to make your weekend travel easier.
