As part of the Auxiliary Lanes Project, the Oregon Department of Transportation is getting ready to block all southbound lanes on OR 217 for the duration of the weekend.
The closure is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday and end at 5 a.m. on Monday. The closure will last until 99W, which is almost five miles away, and drivers will have to get off at Canyon Road. The routes heading north will remain open.
In what they describe as a major step toward the completion of the years-long project, ODOT is closing it so they can pave all the lanes over the weekend. However, they are cautioning those who intend to use the 217 to make advance planning.
“Plan for an alternate route that we recommend, I-5, I-405, and 26,” ODOT Public Information Officer David House stated. “So you want to plan more time into that. You may have, depending on where you’re traveling to or from, you may have a different route in mind, but plan ahead because it will take longer than the usual trip during the weekend closure.”
Over the next month, there will be four weekend closures, starting with this one. There might be a fifth, according to House. However, the lanes won’t be completely prepared for opening just yet.
“First, we got to let the, the new surface cure,” he stated. “We’ll have temporary markers in the, in the pavement, and then eventually, we’ll be able to start opening those lanes, in a few weeks after they’ve been paved.”
Officers from the Beaverton Police Department will be patrolling the area more frequently to maintain order. Dominique Hollman is employed at Canyon Road’s Hotspot Fireplace.
Even when the freeway is open, the region is already renowned for having heavy traffic, so she said she is happy to hear that more officers will be out.
“That’s going to make it a little chaotic for anybody trying to get in and out. Definitely going to have to plan ahead because, you know, there’s going to be some traffic. So time properly.”
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House stated that alternate routes are not advised if drivers must reach certain streets close to the closure.
“The reason for that is it just depends on where you are and where you’re going, what time of day it is,” he stated. “You know, I think that’s, people need to choose their own routes for the most part.”
For the most recent details regarding the shutdown, he advised consulting TripCheck. By the end of December, ODOT is expected to complete the project.
