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This month marks the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project’s 1-year construction anniversary. After the first of four years of construction, the project remains on schedule.
Construction on OR 217 started in December 2021 and since then, crews have been out in full force to improve the highway. We want to extend our thanks to the travelers and project neighbors in the area for driving safely and being patient – this helps our crews do what they need to do!
Final touches on sound walls
The five sound walls along sections of the highway in Tigard and Beaverton are nearly complete. All together, we built close to one-mile worth of new walls. The last few doors, which provide necessary access point for our maintenance staff, will be installed by the end of this year. Building these five structures was a major undertaking that included drilling and pouring foundations, installing vertical supports, installing wall panels, and finally fitting steel maintenance doors. These sound walls reduce highway noise for the adjacent neighbors.
 Crews fitting a steel maintenance door in one of the sound walls.
 Sound wall construction is nearly complete.
Earthwork excavation about halfway done
In construction lingo, ‘earthwork’ usually refers to the excavation and stabilization of dirt and other materials. So far, crews have excavated over 83,000 cubic yards of soils and materials, enough to fill over seven Goodyear Blimps or 8,000 dump trucks. This is about half the amount we expect to excavate in total for the future auxiliary lanes. You may have seen some of this dirt being transported to ODOT property near the intersection of I-5 and I-205. Storing the materials nearby has helped the project save time, money and emissions.
 Dirt is transported from OR 217 to ODOT property near the intersection of I-5 and
I-205.
Progress on the new stormwater treatment facilities
Crews have installed about 4,000 feet of pipes and drains for the new stormwater treatment system along the highway this year. The new system also includes several swales, underground storage facilities and engineered bio-slopes that help filter the water coming off the highway before it goes into the watershed. These facilities are expected to be completed in 2023.
 Crews installing pipes for the new stormwater treatment facilities.
Support columns for the Fanno Creek bridge under way
A new frontage road will replace the southbound Allen Boulevard on-ramp and Denney Road off-ramp next year. Crews have been busy doing prep work in this area to prepare for the bridge that will go over Fanno Creek. As of this month, all the steel columns that will support the bridge are installed. Concrete foundation work is well underway and will be complete by the end of the year.
 Steel columns being hammered into the ground by a pile driver.
 Installation of the steel columns that will support the bridge over Fanno Creek is complete.
The left turns at the southbound Allen Boulevard overpass are due to come back this month. Crews are nearly finished upgrading the guardrails at this intersection and left turns will be allowed again as soon as they are done installing the new traffic signal. Check the project website for confirmation of when left turns will be allowed.
Remember, you’ll still see activity in this area as part of the frontage road and ramp widening work.
While some construction projects slow down over the winter, much of our work is not weather dependent and will continue year-round. Please continue to check our project website and TripCheck.com for updates on current construction activities and traffic impacts.
In early 2023, crews will be working in earnest to complete the southbound frontage road between Allen Boulevard and Denney Road. They will also widen the southbound Allen Boulevard off-ramp and the Denney Road on-ramp. Because of the narrow space between the highway lanes and the railroad tracks, this work requires closing the southbound Denney Road off-ramp and on-ramp for five months.
We will send out advance notice about these closures and detour routes as we get closer.
The OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project will construct auxiliary lanes in both directions of OR 217 between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W. Auxiliary lanes are ramp-to-ramp connections on the highway that help reduce congestion by giving drivers more space and time to merge safely. This decreases conflicts, improves safety and the flow of traffic, and ultimately allows the existing lanes to work more efficiently. We expect up to 73,000 hours of travel time saved each year with these improvements.
We aren't just making improvements to the highway itself. We also need to make the area surrounding OR 217 safer for all users. In partnership with the City of Beaverton and Washington County, we are making targeted improvements to local bicycle and pedestrian routes.
Learn more about this project and stay up-to-date with current traffic impacts by visiting the project website.
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