Thompson-Saltzman Intersection Decision Reached
 School Safety Issues will be addressed
Washington County’’s Department of Land Use and Transportation
has been hard at work to figure out a way to make safety and capacity improvements
to the irregular intersection of Saltzman and Thompson Roads in suburban
Cedar Mill. They have reached a compromise with a landowner according to
which traffic flow will be improved, schoolchildren at Findley Elementary
School will be protected, and everyone’s favorite cows can keep on
mooing in their back yard.
The County’s Project Advisory Committee for the Thompson-Saltzman
project had recommended making “ultimate improvements” at both
ends of a new subdivision (see map). Due to the projected costs for right-of-way
and construction, as well as the disruption to adjacent property owners,
the County re-evaluated the scope of the project.
Instead of the “ultimate” improvements, the County’s
design team has identified a win-win solution: to build an “interim” improvement.
The interim road alignment will allow the County to construct intersection
improvements with sidewalks, curb ramps and a new traffic signal, eliminating
the dangerous offset. But instead of making the connection with the new subdivision
to the west, Thompson Road will tie back into the existing Thompson Road
near the school entrance. As part of this interim design, no improvements
will be made at the southwest end of the subdivision until such time as the
northeast end is developed.
There are many benefits to this interim alignment plan. It improves pedestrian
safety at the intersection. It improves traffic queuing and safety for the
school. It saves the County roughly $1.2 million in right-of-way and construction
costs. Best of all, it allows long time landowners to actively graze their
cows and live out their lives in their home without being significantly impacted
by the road project. Here’s to kids, cows and compromise.
If you would like to view this new, smaller-scaled design, a public open
house is scheduled for Monday, May 12th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Findley
Elementary School Library. For more information on the project or the open
house, please contact Matt Costigan, Engineering Project Coordinator at 503-846-7825
or via email at matthew_costigan@co.washington.
or.us
|
