Lower speed limit will improve safety along SW Hall Boulevard in Tigard
Community support led to reducing the speed limit from 40 to 30 mph
The speed limit along SW Hall Boulevard in Tigard will be reduced from 40 mph to 30 mph next week
March 16, 2023
Contact: Don Hamilton: 503-704-7452
TIGARD -- ODOT will lower the speed limit next week from 40 to 30 mph on a 1.1-mile section of Southwest Hall Boulevard between 92nd Avenue and Pfaffle Street, the first of a number of planned safety improvements in the area.
Crews are expected to begin posting new signs along the road early next week. The new speed limit will go into effect once this work is completed.
“ODOT has several safety improvements coming to Hall Boulevard in the next few years, including rapid flashing beacons, new sidewalks and ADA ramps,” said ODOT Region 1 Manager Rian Windsheimer. “This first step, lowering the speed by 10 mph, will save lives.”
ODOT’s State Traffic Roadway Engineer approved the change, which was supported by Tigard. Speed zone changes in Oregon follow a full review including factors like crash history, traffic volumes, roadside culture and population.
Hall Boulevard is a busy, growing corridor where pedestrians, bicyclists, transit and people with mobility devices go to schools, parks, businesses, apartments, houses and a regional shopping center.
Reported data along this segment of Hall Boulevard showed more than 180 crashes from 2016 to 2021. These included one fatal crash involving a vehicle turning right into a fixed object, one bicycle crash and one pedestrian crash. In March 2022, a pedestrian died and another was severely injured while attempting to cross Hall Boulevard near Lucille Court.
Lower vehicle speeds can decrease the severity of crashes, particularly in pedestrian and bike collisions, and may also allow drivers more time to see and react. In the Portland metro region, excessive speed and driver impairment are leading causes of fatal and disabling crashes.
In addition to reducing the speed limit along Southwest Hall Boulevard, ODOT and Tigard are developing other safety improvement projects in the area.
“This action is one among many upcoming changes to Hall Boulevard our community can look forward to as we center safer mobility in Tigard,” Tigard Mayor Heidi Lueb said. “This is part of our plan to achieve our community vision for a roadway that provides safer and more comfortable mobility for all community members.”
“We truly appreciate the support and engagement of the community throughout this process,” Windsheimer said. “Support from city staff and the public has been instrumental in getting us to this point and will help us continue moving important projects like these forward.”
Ongoing projects
ODOT is upgrading sidewalk curb ramps at 14 intersections between Scholls Ferry Road and Locust Street on Hall Boulevard. The improvements create safer and more accessible highway connections for all sidewalk users along Hall Boulevard. Work began in the fall of 2022 and continues through summer 2023. For more information visit the project website.
In addition, ODOT, Tigard and Washington County are working on a project to enhance safety on Southwest Hall Boulevard by installing two new Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, one across Hall Boulevard at Hemlock Street in unincorporated Washington County and another at Southwest Spruce Street in the City of Tigard. The project begins the design phase layer in 2023, with construction expected in 2025. For more information visit the project website.
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