Westside Bypass: Genius or Madness?

[Squidlo]

Originally Posted by The Cactus Leaguer

Hillsboro plans to lobby the Legislature for 'rigorous' look at west side bypass | OregonLive.com

With Hillsboro becoming the second hub of the metro region, the idea needs to be revisited again. My guess is that there won't be a bypass in the next 50 years but there will be a series of smaller solution aimed at creating a more feasible way to get from Wilsonville/Tualatin to Hillsboro, hopefully before Roy Rogers Road and the other rural connections are completely overrun.

A sensible and reasonable concept. The southern connection from Wilsonville to Highway 26.

[Nell Plotts]

THE critical leg is over the Columbia. If we can't upgrade the bridge over the Columbia at I-5 what makes us think that is likely? Bridges over the Columbia must be high enough to accomodate commercial shipping. Will it happen? Probably not in my lifetime but perhaps in my grandchildren's.

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Squidlo

A sensible and reasonable concept. The southern connection from Wilsonville to Highway 26.

I don't know what you expect them to do after they get on 26. A few years ago I tried to get onto 26 from 217 at rush hour. I sat there, and sat there, and sat there, and after finally making it onto 26 I sat there again. It took me an hour to make it from the 217 junction to Banks. Since then, if I'm going to Seaside I go to Forest Grove through Carlton and skip urban driving completely.

[Squidlo]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

I don't know what you expect them to do after they get on 26. A few years ago I tried to get onto 26 from 217 at rush hour. I sat there, and sat there, and sat there, and after finally making it onto 26 I sat there again. It took me an hour to make it from the 217 junction to Banks. Since then, if I'm going to Seaside I go to Forest Grove through Carlton and skip urban driving completely.

I agree its a dead end. It is however a route that opens up commerce with Hillsboro's southern neighbor communities. Going into Portland on 26 is only for the most patient of individuals. It certainly would provide a choice to those don't want or need to go into Portland to access the valley and other communities.

[tablemtn]

This type of thing - if it happens at all - would be done piecemeal, one small chunk of road at a time. And any such project would terminate on the Oregon side unless Washington or the feds themselves offered to finance the bridge.

One thing I notice - though Hillsboro has been growing for a while, the traffic between Hillsboro city and Highway 26 doesn't seem THAT heavy. Especially as you head west; there doesn't seem to be any overwhelming north-south traffic between the exits off of 26 and Hillsboro itself. There is much heavier traffic elsewhere in the metro area.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by tablemtn

This type of thing - if it happens at all - would be done piecemeal, one small chunk of road at a time. And any such project would terminate on the Oregon side unless Washington or the feds themselves offered to finance the bridge.

One thing I notice - though Hillsboro has been growing for a while, the traffic between Hillsboro city and Highway 26 doesn't seem THAT heavy. Especially as you head west; there doesn't seem to be any overwhelming north-south traffic between the exits off of 26 and Hillsboro itself. There is much heavier traffic elsewhere in the metro area.

I think this is because most people who work in Hillsboro, live in Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bethany, or Forest Grove. 26 is only busy because of people commuting both ways between Beaverton and Portland.