County outlines Stafford Road reconstruction, proposes multi-stage full closures and detours

West Linn — Clackamas County project staff told the West Linn City Council on April 7 that the long-planned Stafford Road Improvements Project is moving into the construction phase and will use multi-stage full road closures and signed detours to complete major intersection and corridor work.

The briefing, delivered by Eric Lace, West Linn city engineer, and Joseph (Joe) Merrick, Clackamas County traffic engineer and traffic safety program manager, said the project will widen the corridor, add continuous bike lanes, realign the Johnson Road intersection, construct a roundabout at the Childs Road intersection, and replace an undersized culvert to improve fish passage.

The project matters because it addresses safety and connectivity on a constrained corridor north of Highway 205, between the Tualatin River bridge and the Rosemont Road roundabout, where narrow pavement and scant shoulders limit safe travel by motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

County staff said design is complete, Westech Construction has been selected as the contractor, and utility relocations are already under way. Northwest Natural is relocating a high-pressure gas line with both daytime flagging and nighttime work; county staff said those relocations will continue through April. The county expects to begin major road-improvement construction as early as May 1, 2025, subject to final schedule and required permits, and anticipates substantial completion by winter 2026.

"There's tens of thousands of cubic yards of excavation of earthwork," Joseph Merrick said, explaining why full closures are the safest and quickest construction method in the narrow corridor. "At the end of this we're going to have a much safer situation for everybody that uses the road and everybody that lives in the area."

County staff described a five-stage construction plan. Under the draft staging: stage 1 would close Stafford Road and Johnson Road between Petula Way and Johnson Road; stage 2 would re-open that segment and close Stafford from Johnson to Rosemont and close Childs Road; stage 3 (the winter shutdown) would keep Childs Road closed while north–south Stafford traffic remains open to allow earth settlement and utility work; stages 4 and 5 in 2026 would mirror 2025 closures in reverse. The county emphasized the dates are tentative and may change with contractor input.

Staff provided a draft schedule that would put stage 1 closures from May 1 to July 14, 2025, stage 2 from July 15 to Sept. 30, 2025, a winter shutdown from Oct. 2025 through April 2026, and season 2 work in 2026. County staff cautioned the timeline is subject to refinement with the contractor’s detailed schedule.

To reduce neighborhood and regional disruption, county traffic engineers said they evaluated detour options and, after coordination with Lake Oswego, recommend a signed detour using I‑5/Boones Ferry and local streets through Lake Oswego rather than Oregon 43. "We looked at options of using Oregon 43, and that was actually looking good until the construction schedules for Abernathy Bridge changed, and then they ended up being in conflict," Merrick said. He added the county will sign the preferred route but acknowledged many drivers will use navigation apps that may route them otherwise.

Merrick said the county will collect pre-construction traffic data, then monitor traffic patterns before and during each stage and work with West Linn and Lake Oswego staff to respond. The county is building a dashboard that draws on an ODOT transportation analytics tool (TripCheck) to see real-time and historic traffic changes; the dashboard was tested during the prior Rosemont closure. County staff also said they are prepared to use changeable message signs, temporary speed feedback signs, targeted traffic-control changes, and coordinate with law enforcement and emergency services as needed.

City councilors and staff expressed support for the safety improvements while acknowledging short-term inconvenience. "I think a lot of West Linn residents use Stafford Road…they're gonna be a lot safer because right now it's definitely not safe," Councilor Bridal said. Councilors praised the planned roundabout and bike lanes as long-term benefits.

County staff said they will continue coordination with West Linn public safety and Lake Oswego officials, finalize the contractor’s detailed schedule in the coming weeks, and issue public outreach and closure notices. The county plans to use portable changeable message signs (PCMS) and a project web page for community updates; Eric Lace was identified as the city contact for project questions.

No formal action was required of the council during the briefing; county staff sought council questions and provided contact and outreach commitments as the project moves into full construction.