Morning traffic conditions going to OSHU/Downtown Portland

[sunscribble]

Originally Posted by dreamingbig

From Beaverton/Raleigh Hills/Tigard going downtown on I217 and I26 in the morning (7am)?

From Tigard/Metzger area going downtown on I5 in the morning (7am)?

From Beaverton/Raleigh Hills/Tigard going to OSHU on I10 in the morning (7am)?

From Riverwood area going to OSHU/downtown on I43 (7am)?

From Beaverton going to OSHU on I10 (7am)?


I've lived in Anchorage, Alaska, and Phoenix (Glendale), Arizona, and communed 8-10 miles from home to work/school which took me typically 15-20 minutes. I'm sure the mechanics of Portland is no different but I need to make sure.

I've also lived in Phoenix, and I think you should know that a 10 mile commute in Portland typically takes a lot longer than a 10 mile commute in Phoenix. As others have mentioned, the freeways (I-217, I-5, Highway 26) do get backed up during rush hour, and as a result, many commuters take side streets to avoid them. However, the through streets here are typically narrower (with fewer lanes), slower (speed limits usually 25-35), and with more stoplights per mile than what you see in Phoenix. For example, the speed limit on Highway 10 near Raleigh Hills is 35, and near Hillsdale is 30 (strictly enforced). Highway 10 is not a freeway. While being one of the faster streets on the West side of Portland, it is slower going than Bell Road (or any other main road) in Phoenix. It has multiple stoplights per mile with long waiting times at some of those stoplights. I find it convenient to OHSU because it allows me to avoid the freeways, but it is going to be slower going than what you are used to in Phoenix. Certainly a reasonable commute though.

The freeways have slow speed limits as well (it's 50 MPH on Hwy 26 and 50 MPH along the Terwilliger curves on I-5, and gets up to 55 the further out you get, with a maximum of 65 outside of the city), so even on the weekends your speed will typically be slower here than in Phoenix. Avoid I-217 and Highway 26 if you are commuting during rush hour, unless you don't mind a commute time of an hour or so.

Originally Posted by dreamingbig

Driving to downtown Portland sounds like it's a pain in the arse on the Hwy 26 and 217 coming from Beaverton area and beyond. Hwy 10 and SW Barbur Blvd seems like a decent commute coming from Raleigh Hills area or south west area of 97219 driving to OSHU. ***Does this sound correct?***

Yes. Although, coming from SW, You would NOT want to take Barbur Blvd. all the way downtown because that would require driving through downtown traffic and then backtracking up the hill to get to OHSU. Instead, I would recommend that you take Barbur Blvd to get to Terwilliger, and then take Terwilliger to OHSU.

Is your wife already hired at OHSU? There are lots of other options for RN's: Legacy Hospitals and Providence Hospitals, for example. I believe that Legacy Hospitals (Emanuel in NE, Good Samaritan in NW, and Meridian Park in SW) provide free parking for employees. Not sure about Providence. These locations are a little more convenient because they aren't isolated on a hill like OHSU.

Originally Posted by davemess10

Most employees take the bus and tram to OHSU. The parking is outrageous, and with the discounted TriMet pass, it's sillly not too

I know of one OHSU student who sold his house in order to move closer to public transportation because he could not obtain an OHSU parking permit, so davemess10 is not exaggerating. Not sure if it's any easier for OHSU employees.

If your wife already has a job at OHSU, you may want to look into public transportation as an option. Go to the Trimet website (http://trimet.org/) and use the "Plan a trip" feature. This should help you to see which locations would be most convenient to the bus lines. I believe routes 61, 64, and 65 are the buses that would serve the Hillsdale area (http://trimet.org/go/cgi-bin/cstops....ate=01-30-2011). Alternatively, you could take virtually any other bus (or the MAX) downtown and then take the #8 from downtown. Taking the direct route from Hillsdale would be much more convenient though (no transfers).

Hope this helps!

[dreamingbig]

Originally Posted by sunscribble

I've also lived in Phoenix, and I think you should know that a 10 mile commute in Portland typically takes a lot longer than a 10 mile commute in Phoenix. As others have mentioned, the freeways (I-217, I-5, Highway 26) do get backed up during rush hour, and as a result, many commuters take side streets to avoid them. However, the through streets here are typically narrower (with fewer lanes), slower (speed limits usually 25-35), and with more stoplights per mile than what you see in Phoenix. For example, the speed limit on Highway 10 near Raleigh Hills is 35, and near Hillsdale is 30 (strictly enforced). Highway 10 is not a freeway. While being one of the faster streets on the West side of Portland, it is slower going than Bell Road (or any other main road) in Phoenix. It has multiple stoplights per mile with long waiting times at some of those stoplights. I find it convenient to OHSU because it allows me to avoid the freeways, but it is going to be slower going than what you are used to in Phoenix. Certainly a reasonable commute though.

The freeways have slow speed limits as well (it's 50 MPH on Hwy 26 and 50 MPH along the Terwilliger curves on I-5, and gets up to 55 the further out you get, with a maximum of 65 outside of the city), so even on the weekends your speed will typically be slower here than in Phoenix. Avoid I-217 and Highway 26 if you are commuting during rush hour, unless you don't mind a commute time of an hour or so.



Yes. Although, coming from SW, You would NOT want to take Barbur Blvd. all the way downtown because that would require driving through downtown traffic and then backtracking up the hill to get to OHSU. Instead, I would recommend that you take Barbur Blvd to get to Terwilliger, and then take Terwilliger to OHSU.

Is your wife already hired at OHSU? There are lots of other options for RN's: Legacy Hospitals and Providence Hospitals, for example. I believe that Legacy Hospitals (Emanuel in NE, Good Samaritan in NW, and Meridian Park in SW) provide free parking for employees. Not sure about Providence. These locations are a little more convenient because they aren't isolated on a hill like OHSU.



I know of one OHSU student who sold his house in order to move closer to public transportation because he could not obtain an OHSU parking permit, so davemess10 is not exaggerating. Not sure if it's any easier for OHSU employees.

If your wife already has a job at OHSU, you may want to look into public transportation as an option. Go to the Trimet website (TriMet: Public Transportation for the Portland, Oregon, Metro Area) and use the "Plan a trip" feature. This should help you to see which locations would be most convenient to the bus lines. I believe routes 61, 64, and 65 are the buses that would serve the Hillsdale area (TriMet: Stops & Stations - Stop ID 5975 - US Veterans Hospital Southbound). Alternatively, you could take virtually any other bus (or the MAX) downtown and then take the #8 from downtown. Taking the direct route from Hillsdale would be much more convenient though (no transfers).

Hope this helps!

Wow! Thanks for the heads up! My wife will not have a problem working for OSHU hence her contacting their office already. And you're right about traffic conditions in Phoenix the speed limits are much faster than 30-35mph and it's multi-lanes all throughout.

[sunscribble]

Originally Posted by dreamingbig

Wow! Thanks for the heads up! My wife will not have a problem working for OSHU hence her contacting their office already. And you're right about traffic conditions in Phoenix the speed limits are much faster than 30-35mph and it's multi-lanes all throughout.

You're welcome. If your wife is driving, have you considered living in SE (west of Mt. Tabor)? I posted more information about the SE option as well as safety in the "Job at OHSU" thread, in case you're interested: Job at OHSU. SE is another neighborhood to consider, with a different feel. It used to take me <10 minutes to get to the base of the OHSU hill from my house in inner SE (15 minutes by bike; lots of bus options too).