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Washington County presents Farmington Road concept plan; recommends multiuse path and three‑lane sections, estimates $62–71 million for 1.5‑mile ODOT segment
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Summary
County staff presented a planning‑level concept for Farmington Road between Kinnaman and 198th Avenues, recommending a mostly three‑lane cross section with a multiuse path, reporting a planning‑level cost estimate of $62–71 million and describing next steps to pursue jurisdictional transfer under the 2023 process (House Bill 2793).
Washington County staff presented a planning‑level concept plan for Farmington Road on Aug. 5, asking the Board of Commissioners to acknowledge a recommended design that emphasizes safety and multimodal access and to allow staff to finalize the report and pursue jurisdictional‑transfer steps with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Steven Roberts, the county's Land Use and Transportation director, and Diame Valentine, transportation‑planning manager, told the board the project study area runs from Kinnaman Road west to about 198th Avenue, with the ODOT‑owned portion targeted for transfer covering approximately 1.5 miles. The work is intended to produce a planning‑level concept, cost estimate and public engagement record to support a future jurisdictional transfer application under the 2023 legislative process that created the jurisdictional transfer advisory committee (House Bill 2793).
"This effort really is intended to develop a concept planning‑level cost estimate to help advance conversations," Roberts said during the presentation.
The project team and the consultant EKS Associates evaluated mobility and safety alternatives for motor vehicles, transit, bicycles and pedestrians. Staff reported current counts of roughly 18,000–20,000 average daily vehicles through the corridor’s western portions and higher counts (about 25,000–26,000) east of 170th Avenue; about 10% of corridor traffic is trucks. TriMet operates two bus lines that use the corridor and staff flagged transit reliability and stops for later design work.
Three cross‑section alternatives were analyzed for the long‑term roadway: a three‑lane cross section, a five‑lane cross section, and a hybrid converting some segments to three lanes with capacity added at key intersections. For bicycles and pedestrians the team advanced three options and, after community feedback, recommended a multiuse path for most of the corridor combined with on‑street bike lanes near intersections and at‑grade sections where topography or single‑family access made an elevated path impractical.
"We did hear feedback that there was a preference for a three‑lane now," Valentine said, summarizing community responses favoring near‑term three‑lane improvements for safety, lower cost and better multimodal outcomes.
Staff said the multiuse‑path option attracted the strongest community preference in the project’s online open house and tablings, and that cost differences among the bicycle/pedestrian alternatives were smaller than anticipated. The team reported a planning‑level cost range for the ODOT segment (190th/198th to Kinnaman) of approximately $62 million to $71 million in 2025 dollars; staff emphasized that the estimate will be refined as design advances and that amounts would grow with inflation when built.
The presentation addressed a problem intersection at Rosa Road and 170th Avenue, describing alternatives including realignment, full closure, and right‑in/right‑out. Staff said the realignment option had larger right‑of‑way impacts and that community feedback favored the right‑in/right‑out alternative.
Roberts and Valentine described the jurisdictional transfer path: the county would prepare an application for the jurisdictional transfer advisory committee established under House Bill 2793; that committee evaluates applications and forwards recommendations to the legislature but does not itself guarantee funding. Staff noted the committee typically considers a limited number of applications per biennium and that an expectation exists for local match funds (staff cited a likely 20% local match obligation in that process). The county also identified the project as eligible under the county's MSTIP large‑project list as a potential local match lever.
Commissioners asked about right‑of‑way impacts (staff said some options add roughly six feet of ROW overall where required), maintenance obligations for new facilities (sweeping, debris removal, and long‑term maintenance were raised as concerns), and how Farmington compares with other jurisdictional transfer efforts. Staff described next steps as finalizing the plan and executive summary, returning for a board acknowledgement later this year, and coordinating with ODOT on the transfer application and funding conversations.
No formal vote was taken at the Aug. 5 work session. Commissioners signaled general support for advancing the planning‑level concept (the board indicated readiness to acknowledge the concept at a later business meeting). Staff said they will finalize the report, prepare an executive summary, and pursue the jurisdictional‑transfer application and funding conversations with ODOT and the transfer advisory committee.
