Oregon

[pderocco]

There has recently been some talk among the City of Hillsboro about improving the 185th corridor. I don't know what this would exactly mean for the road as a whole, but one of the mentioned upgrades was the 185th/Baseline intersection, which is infamous for having a railroad crossing right next to it on 185th. What's also interesting about this intersection is that in order to access 185th northbound from Baseline eastbound, a large set of slip lanes must be used. This is problematic because this means that traffic heading onto 185th NB from Baseline EB must go through the intersection twice, creating a long slog of an intersection.

Another reason this intersection is bad is because of the light cycle, the MAX combined with the intersection itself makes things once again, a slog to get through, specifically for southbound 185th traffic. Also, having your railroad crossing right near a major intersection of 2 arterial roads that both carry significant amounts of traffic, specifically Baseline, which is a straight shot into Downtown Hillsboro, is nearing on, if not IS gridlock.

185th is well known around the west metro for being one of the most significant, heck, maybe THE most significant(along with Murray, CornPass, and OR 217) north-south arterial. It is jammed all throughout rush hour as lots of it's traffic diverts onto southerly east-west arterials(such as the aforementioned Baseline and TV Hwy, but also OR 10/Farmington), it also serves the unincorporated community of Aloha, and provides access to southern and eastern Hillsboro as well as western Beaverton via smaller, more niche collector and arterial roads.

Another problematic intersection is 185th and Evergreen Pkwy, which is once again, a gridlock mess. Evergreen has a traffic signal literally ONE BLOCK to the east which is incredibly problematic especially if the lights are not synced. This intersection is also located right near Highway 26, and obviously, along with this intersection being located in Tanasbourne, that is a recipe for business and traffic disasters. There's also a signal at 185th and Cornell not too far south from Evergreen. I don't even know how to fix this mess, and even though this wasn't included in the mentioned proposals from what I saw(despite this being the only major intersection on 185th that is fully in the Hillsboro city limits), it is desperately needed.

The City of Hillsboro is definitely eyeing up this corridor for a reason, and I think these two intersections, along with some other smaller issues with the road, are definitely part of the reason why. Admittedly, I do not go on 185th much, so I can't speak as well as some others possibly might, but these are my thoughts.

I used to live right next to 185th St back in the late 90s, but I'm sure traffic's much worse now.

I'm glad they're talking about "improving" it, but I hope that doesn't mean putting in roundabouts, or replacing car lanes with segregated bike lanes.

[xonhulu]

I used to live right next to 185th St back in the late 90s, but I'm sure traffic's much worse now.

I'm glad they're talking about "improving" it, but I hope that doesn't mean putting in roundabouts, or replacing car lanes with segregated bike lanes.

https://apps.hillsboro-oregon.gov/News/News/Article/fa507788cbd44f41bed1be06021e3e92

Improving travel near the MAX crossing at the intersection of SW 185th Avenue and Baseline Road remains a priority for Washington County, TriMet, and the Cities of Hillsboro and Beaverton.

The City of Hillsboro has submitted a project proposal for Metro 2028-30 Regional Flexible Funding that would install Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology along the SW 185th Avenue corridor.

This new artificially intelligent (AI) or "Smart" combined traffic and rail signaling system would reduce traffic congestion and pedestrian delays at the busy intersection of SW 185th Avenue and Baseline Road.

The Smart SW 185th Avenue ITS and Better Bus Project would:

    Install new intelligent sensors, such as radars, cameras and detectors along the corridor

    Coordinate traffic signals and rail transit signals into an integrated system

    Adjust traffic signal timing based on real-time traffic detection —
    reducing delays for people walking, riding or driving on SW 185th Avenue

    Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by ensuring pedestrians are not
    stranded on corners when trains disrupt the intersection signal timing

Better traffic signal coordination will also accelerate bus service along the SW 185th corridor by providing priority access for TriMet buses traveling through the intersection. The project would build a slip lane allowing southbound buses to use the right turn lane more efficiently.

[xonhulu]

Just saw this single OR 370 shield today, posted at the junction of O'Neil Hwy and 17th St, near 370's west end:




I drove the entire length of 370 to Prineville and back, but this was the only 370 shield I saw. I'm pretty sure this was put up after October, the last time I drove the route.

Odd that only one shield was up. This is reminiscent of the nearby OR 380, where a single shield was posted for a couple of years, also at a side-road junction, before ODOT got around to fully signing the highway.

Still, another Oregon route finally officially gets some signage. Hopefully, there is more to come.

[bing101]

Here is a new segment on Portland's cancelled freeway plans.