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Pedestrian safety projects approved for 143rd and Thompson Road

The Cedar Mill area should get safer for walkers along two area roads this coming fiscal year, 2017-18. The Urban Road Maintenance District Advisory Committee (URMDAC) approved funding for construction of a sidewalk along NW 143rd Avenue from NW Melody Lane to house #2000, and a paved path for NW Thompson Road from Knollview to NW 114th.

The projects were two of eight that were approved by the committee—all sidewalks—and were selected from 23 candidates. They will be presented to the Washington County Board of Commissioners for approval in June. The choices were unanimous and followed a public comment period that proved quite popular by the time it ended Nov. 11.

A section of Thompson Rd. that will receive an improved walking path.

"The proposed projects generated 278 public comments, a really impressive response from the citizens of Washington County," said Bonnie Hadley, URMDAC chair." The advisory committee would like to thank the public for this valuable feedback." 

The 143rd project will fill gaps in the existing sidewalk on the east side of the road. About 475 feet of five-foot-wide sidewalk will be built at a cost of $175,000. The commenters noted that the road links to Sunset High School, about one-half mile south on Cornell Road, and nearby Oak Hills.

A similar, but not exact type of gap-filling will happen on NW Thompson Road, with about 1,000 feet of a 5-foot-wide paved path along the south side of the road. Several of the 30 people who commented on this project called for a sidewalk, saying a paved path in the road wasn’t enough. Thompson links to Findley, Bonny Slope and Terra Nova schools and Bonny Slope Park. The cost is estimated to be about $557,000.

To see the project areas and comments, click on an interactive map.

Both projects were part of Washington County’s Minor Betterment program that funds small-scale improvements that are beyond routine maintenance but not large enough to be programmed as capital improvements. The pool of funds comes from county gas taxes.

To propose a small road improvement candidate, submit an online form or contact the Operations and Maintenance Division at 503-846-7623 or lutops@co.washington.or.us.

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