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[sp_redelectric]

I noticed today while up in Beaverton that ODOT has replaced the signs on Canyon Road (Oregon 8) at the 217 interchange.

Formerly, the signs would read "OR 217 Tigard Salem"...but now the signs omit any control city and simply are "OR 217 TO I-5" or "OR 217 TO US 26" (with shields).

The signs on Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway (OR 10) have not been replaced (yet), nor have the signs on OR 99W in Tigard or the signs on I-5 (haven't been up on US 26 to check up there).

Sorry, no pics (I was driving)...  

[luokou]

Interesting! I do recall a "To I-5 use OR-217" BGS on US-26 westbound many years ago before the Barnes Rd and 217 interchange was updated in the early 90's, so it's kind of nice to see a similar message in use.

Apparently, there is also a new arrow-per-lane diagrammatic on I-5 north before the southern interchange for I-405. That's a picture I'd like to see sometime soon, else just make a trip back up to Portland.

[xonhulu]

There are also a bunch of new arrow-per-lane diagrammatic BGS's at I-5's southern interchange with I-205.  I was wondering awhile back why they were putting up new sign bridges, as in other spots they were replacing sign bridges with single-arm supports.  Now I know it was to support these signs.  There are three in total leading up to the actual exit.

I also saw a new overhead BGS for OR 551's exit off I-5 with a 551 shield on it.  No picture as it was too dark when I went by.

[sp_redelectric]

There are also a bunch of new arrow-per-lane diagrammatic BGS's at I-5's southern interchange with I-205.

Yes, and notable the new signs omit I-84 which have long been included on the I-205 sign (I-205, TO I-84) and the control city is now Oregon City (used to be The Dalles and Seattle).

I am quickly becoming NOT a fan of those big signs - especially the I-5/I-205 signs.  However, one place where those new signs will be welcomed is at the east end of the Sunset before its three-way split onto I-405 and Market Street and possibly the split at the west end of the Banfield (I-84/I-5/Or 99E/Multnomah Avenue).

[andytom]

There are also a bunch of new arrow-per-lane diagrammatic BGS's at I-5's southern interchange with I-205.

Yes, and notable the new signs omit I-84 which have long been included on the I-205 sign (I-205, TO I-84) and the control city is now Oregon City (used to be The Dalles and Seattle).

ODOT may finally be bowing to reality here.  It's actually a shorter distance to go by I-5/I-84 than I-205 and, when I-5/I-84 are in bad shape traffic-wise, I-205 is in even worse shape.

--Andy

[sp_redelectric]

ODOT may finally be bowing to reality here.  It's actually a shorter distance to go by I-5/I-84 than I-205 and, when I-5/I-84 are in bad shape traffic-wise, I-205 is in even worse shape.

And to the dismay of all the transit geeks in Portland (who of course hate all things automobile), who would rather see I-5 re-routed onto I-205 so as to eliminate a significant amount of traffic from going through downtown Portland.

I've never been in bad traffic on I-205, but more traffic does use the Glenn Jackson Bridge than the Interstate Bridge.  It helps to have a bridge actually designed for an interstate highway (with lots of lanes, wide shoulders, wide open visibility...it's easy to do 75 on that bridge!) versus a retrofitted bridge that originally carried trolleys when it was first built.

[andytom]

ODOT may finally be bowing to reality here.  It's actually a shorter distance to go by I-5/I-84 than I-205 and, when I-5/I-84 are in bad shape traffic-wise, I-205 is in even worse shape.

I've never been in bad traffic on I-205

If a tree falls in the forest and you aren't there to hear it, does it make any noise?   There isn't a day goes by that the traffic reports aren't talking about how jammed up I-205 is.  Like me, you probably avoid the freeways like the plague during rush hour in this town.  If I have to take someone out to the airport, I go I-84 to NW 82nd Ave rather than I-205 during the day because you never know what you are going to get with 205.  Besides, its a shorter distance, lower fare for the customer

They were hanging the 2 Mile sign for I-205 between the 2 Wilsonville exits last Friday.  Not exactly the best time to do this as the PAC12 championship game had finished up a couple hours before down in Eugene and all that traffic was jammed up coming into Wilsonville.  Its not like they hadn't been talking about this game for the past week on the news, ODOT (let's use some brain-power next time?).  Looks like they were applying (or fixing) the legend on site.

--Andy

[andytom]

Looks like they were applying (or fixing) the legend on site.

They were applying the legend on Friday.  The control city wasn't on the sign face yet when I passed through on Friday.  It's there now.

In other sign news, the old signs were removed and the new signs put up (at least the ones not on the new sign bridge) at the north end of OR-217.  They chose not to use the new style sign (like for I-205) in this case (sign plans probably already done before the new style came into being).  The new style probably would have worked well here as there are 2 closely spaced splits each with an option lane.

--Andy

[drummer_evans_aki]

I don't know why ODOT changes signs when they would do a valuable service and widen OR-217 in both directions, get rid of a couple of unnecessary exits (Denney Rd comes to mind as one of them), and try to alleviate the traffic situation in both directions.

But if it were me, I'd would only add "To I-5" on the OR-217 Southbound Guide Signs and "To US-26" on the Northbound Guide Signs.

On an unrelated subject, ODOT could do a little work on Barbur Blvd near SW Hamilton (not far from where I live) because traffic there gets pretty hectic.

[xonhulu]

I don't know why ODOT changes signs when they would do a valuable service and widen OR-217 in both directions, get rid of a couple of unnecessary exits (Denney Rd comes to mind as one of them), and try to alleviate the traffic situation in both directions.

Probably a quantum leap in budget between replacing a few signs and that widening project.  But ODOT does have some strange priorities these days, I'll agree.

I just saw on KATU news last night a report detailing the ongoing clusterfudge that is the US 20 realignment between Eddyville and Pioneer Mtn.  $208 million and counting, and they still haven't settled on a mitigation plan or realignment to fix the landslide problem.  All that for 7 miles of road in the coast range with moderate traffic counts, nothing like metro-area roads.  Spending that $$$ on widening 217 or on the Newberg-Dundee Bypass would've been a better expenditure of funds.  While I'd like to see that section of US 20 improved, and I drive it often enough that it would personally be useful to me, the entire project is turning into the Oregon equivalent of the Big Dig (o.k., maybe that's exaggerating a little...).

On an unrelated subject, ODOT could do a little work on Barbur Blvd near SW Hamilton (not far from where I live) because traffic there gets pretty hectic.

Is ODOT responsible for that section of Barbur Blvd?  Most of that road has been relinquished to the city for maintenance.

[Bickendan]

Yes -- it's part of OR 10, if not OR 99W.

[OCGuy81]

One of my trips to Portland back in the summer had me driving south of downtown onto Barbur Blvd.  There is a BGS just south of downtown that indicates Barbur Blvd as both OR-10 and OR-99W.  I thought both those routes were truncated prior to Barbur Blvd.

[NE2]

A route designation doesn't mean ODOT maintains the road.

[sp_redelectric]

If a tree falls in the forest and you aren't there to hear it, does it make any noise?   There isn't a day goes by that the traffic reports aren't talking about how jammed up I-205 is.  Like me, you probably avoid the freeways like the plague during rush hour in this town.

Between the fact I'm rarely in East Portland, don't commute in/out of Vancouver, ride the bus into downtown and don't listen to the traffic reports

[sp_redelectric]

Is ODOT responsible for that section of Barbur Blvd?  Most of that road has been relinquished to the city for maintenance.

ODOT jurisdiction starts, IIRC, at S.W. Naito Parkway and Clay Street, south along Naito to Barbur, then Barbur all the way into Tigard (Pacific Highway) and so on.

ODOT did relinquish Naito north to the Steel Bridge (however, ODOT still "maintains" the upper deck of the Steel Bridge, but not the approach spans, because the State of Oregon has a 100 year lease of that deck from Union Pacific who owns the bridge.  PBOT owns the approach spans.

ODOT also relinquished Clay/Market Streets (U.S. 26) a few years ago, and I'm not sure of the current status of Harbor Drive (a.k.a. the on/off-ramp to I-5 via I-405) but the current project going on looks like it's a city project.  My guess is ODOT has given it up too, at least north of Sheridan Street or possibly north of River Parkway.

As for which "route" that Barbur/Naito has...there are fewer Oregon 10 signs now than in the past.  ODOT put up the 99W signs and had officially redesignated Barbur as part of 99W, only to then re-remove the designation (probably because ODOT knows it'll relinquish Barbur to PBOT at some point in the near future).  But why the 10 designation remains is beyond me...considering that the only part of 10 that is ODOT maintained is from 217 east to the Washington/Multnomah County line, and I believe that its western end might have reverted back to state jurisdiction but can't be sure of it (219 to River Road) - all of the signs and the roadway specs for the last mile or so appear to be ODOT spec.  And...there is one or two ODOT "islands" in the Aloha area that strangely remain in ODOT jurisdiction, yet they have no connection to any other state highway.  (According to the 2010 Traffic Volumes Table, MP 5.88 through MP 7.38 is still ODOT maintained.  And it shows!)