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County road maintenance plan will smooth out Cedar Mill roads

Washington County will apply *overlay on several roads in the area if the proposed plan is approved. You can comment on the plan until April 14 by viewing the map and filling out the form on this page. All projects will be paid out of the Road Fund.

113th Av from Cornell Rd to Reeves St (W-leg)

Leahy Rd from Barnes Rd to 90th Av

Leahy Rd from 90th Av to 107th Av

Cornell Rd from Trail Av to 153rd Av

The Cornell Road project may include some improvements to bicycle and pedestrian facilities, according to Shelley Oylear, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for Land Use and Transportation.

“We will be striping for buffered bicycle lanes on Cornell from Murray to Hwy 26. The traffic section reviews each overlay project and, particularly on urban arterials, we look for ways to revise striping to include buffered bicycle lanes.

There is also a possibility of improving the crosswalk in front of Sunset High, including a solar-powered flashing light and improved marking. Oylear says, “The Traffic Division will be reviewing the overhead lighting at the Sunset HS crossing and will add it to our list of locations requesting crossing treatments. There isn’t a dedicated funding stream for crossing treatments but we are always looking opportunities.

Principal Huelskamp is going to submit a formal request to the county to enhance the crossing with beacons and mentioned setting up a petition.

*Overlay: Hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) is machine placed and compacted, under stringent quality control measures, to repair and extend the road surface from ten to fifteen years. Completed in late spring, summer, and early fall months.

Buffered bike lanes are designed to increase the space between the bike lanes and the travel lane or parked cars.

New material being tested on Willow Creek Boardwalk

The Willow Creek Boardwalk is a trail that runs east-to-west along Willow Creek near a dense housing area between NW 173rd Ave and NW Waterhouse Ave. The existing decking is a recycled plastic material that resembles wood planking. The recycled decking was laid over the wood decking several years ago because users were concerned the wood boardwalk became too slippery when wet, and too mossy in shaded areas. The recycled decking passed the slip resistance tests, and was easier to clean than the wood product.

THPRD maintenance staff found that moisture was being trapped between the two products. They spent an extensive amount of time rebuilding the sub-structure, and will continue to do so in preparation of installing a new decking material in the future.

Jon Campbell, Superintendent of Maintenance Operations, brought the boardwalk maintenance & replacement plan information to the Parks and Facilities Advisory Committee in the fall of 2016, and asked the group to be part of the future solution in replacing the decking. The advisory members were supportive, and requested to see products before they were installed.

Steve Gulgren, Senior Park Planner, located several material options and brought the samples to an Advisory Committee meeting. In January, the committee selected a Fiberglas “pultruded” material with an “aqua grit” surface. The material has a superior slip-resistance texture, and should last for many years to come.

Four test spots along the boardwalk have been replaced with the new material. Maintenance staff will continue to monitor the product through the fall of 2017. THPRD would like to replace the decking over a three-year period with a product the users like. Campbell will update the Parks and Facilities Advisory Committee members at each meeting regarding the input he receives, and a decision will be made in November 2018 about whether the new product will be used to replace the existing recycled plastic.

Residents who use the Willow Creek Boardwalk are invited provide input on the new surface, which is scheduled to remain in place until fall. Comments will be reviewed, surface wear analyzed and a decision made about using this product on a larger scale at this or other sites. Comments will be collected and reviewed by project manager Steve Gulgren. You can contact Steve by email or at 503-614-4001.

The district makes extensive use of boardwalks to allow trail users to traverse wetland areas for both wetland viewing and for transit across those areas.

Hotel, offices and retail will be added to Timberland

Kirkland Place is the working name for one of the remaining parcels of Timberland. The project will be built in phases, with the smaller buildings first. A two-story office and medical building will be located at the corner of NW Barnes and 118th. Each floor will be approximately 8,200 sf. A one-story, 6300 sf building will house retail and offices on NW Cedar Falls, opposite The Ackerly. A hotel will be built later in a four-story building facing 118th, comprising 45,280 sf.

Greta Holmstrom, of Standridge Design says that plans will be finalized and submitted to Beaverton in a month or two. If permitting goes smoothly, they hope to break ground in the fall on the first phase.

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