Columbia County approves 30-day pilot to manage weekend traffic at Sauvie Island beaches

Columbia County commissioners on June 25 approved a 30-day pilot allowing the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement a traffic-management program on Reader Road and at Sauvie Island beaches, with vendor-operated check-in, free daily passes and enforcement coordination with the Oregon State Police.

The pilot, approved by board order (referred to in the meeting as Order 41 20 25), is intended to start about one-and-a-half to two weeks after the county issues the construction permit — a timeline county staff said could allow implementation over the July 4 holiday weekend. County staff and ODFW said they will monitor results and may request an extension or adjustments after the trial period.

Commissioners and staff said overcrowding and traffic safety have worsened on hot summer weekends and that a managed-entry system could reduce congestion and improve emergency access. Steve Nemela, Watershed Manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the board, “We’re about, a week and a half. Whenever we get the green light, we’ll be about a week and a half to 2 weeks out to implement.” He said the vendor must be hired and a media campaign launched before operations begin.

The county, ODFW and Oregon State Police (OSP) discussed how enforcement capacity has limited citation issuance during busy days. OSP Lieutenant Doug Shudar said citation counts fluctuate with weather and staffing and that “issuing citations does not curb the overcrowding out there. Like it just doesn’t have any impact; issuing a $115 citation for no parking permit does not change behavior out there. It seems people are pretty willing to pay that.” OSP provided citation totals for Memorial Day through Labor Day for recent years: 346 citations in 2022, 1,377 citations in 2023 and 660 citations in 2024; staff attributed the drop in 2024 to cooler weather.

Under the pilot, passes will be free but require users to complete a transaction in ODFW’s system to obtain the day-specific permit. Angela Ward, business analyst in the ODFW director’s office, explained, “They are free. You have to go through a transaction process on our system to be able to obtain it, but it is a free product.” The county said passes will be available in a rolling schedule (for example, Fridays will open sales for the upcoming Saturday and Sunday up to two weeks out) and that daily permits will be limited below total physical capacity to leave slack for operations and emergency access.

Consultant work by David Evans is providing the final parking-count estimate; staff reported there are roughly 900 total parking spaces in the study area and that the consultant’s recommended permit limit will likely be a percentage (for example, 80–90%) of that count to avoid filling to absolute capacity. ODFW staff also said they will staff check-in points primarily on weekends and holidays and scale staffing if weather or demand is lower.

Board members and staff emphasized coordination with emergency services. County staff said they will invite fire and emergency responders and seasonal staff to observe or rehearse the check-in and access plan so emergency vehicles can maintain response routes. Commissioners asked for regular reporting during the pilot; ODFW agreed to provide a mid-pilot and end-of-pilot report and to return to the board to request continued approval or propose changes.

The board approved the draft order and directed staff to proceed with permitting and public-works review of the traffic-management plan; the permit will include the traffic-management plan review and may be adjusted through the permit process. The county noted some ordinance requirements (discussed in the meeting) that affect how temporary restrictions and signage can be posted and enforced; staff said they would follow the public-works permit review to ensure compliance.

Next steps identified in the meeting include finalizing the traffic-management plan, contracting a vendor, launching a public information campaign (flyers, variable message boards, QR codes), implementing the permit system and tracking enforcement and operational metrics during the pilot. ODFW will return to the board with a report at the end of the pilot period and may request continued or revised authority based on the findings.