City engineers propose lane adjustments, buffered bike lanes to ease 60th/Borland congestion

Tualatin city staff and consultants presented a conceptual design Feb. 10 aimed at reducing recurring congestion where Southwest 60th Avenue meets Borland Road and Saggart Avenue, and said county partners favor the plan.

Mike McCarthy, city engineer, and Abby McVetridge, engineering associate, described the project background and traffic analysis. The intersection currently experiences peak-period congestion that causes queuing as far back as the Horizon School area, McVetridge said; the consultant's analysis and turning-movement counts found the Borland/60th intersection operating at level-of-service E, below the city standard, while Saggart/60th was operating at D.

The concept presented would add a northbound right-turn lane on 60th, shift some through and turning movements with a partial access control (commonly called a "pork-chop") at a private property drive to limit lefts and through movements there, and install buffered bike lanes on both sides of 60th through the project area. McCarthy said the key operational benefit is getting right-turning vehicles out of the through lane so green time can be redistributed to other critical moves; Washington County, which maintains signals on that corridor, reviewed the design options and favored the recommended layout.

McVetridge said the configuration shortens queue lengths so that in peak conditions backups on 60th and Saggart would be confined closer to the intersection rather than extending to the Horizon School driveway. The design work also anticipates a continental crosswalk and slight sidewalk adjustments while keeping most alignments in the existing roadway footprint.

Staff said they coordinated with both Washington and Clackamas counties because the roadway is split between the two jurisdictions. They noted the preferred option would require conversations with adjacent property owners, including the property that would lose a northbound left/thru access and a Meridian Park hospital access, and said outreach to the general public will follow. McCarthy added the project is on the city's federal legislative agenda and staff will explore funding options including federal grants; depending on the funding source, additional environmental review (for example, NEPA) may be required.

Councilors asked about signal timing and coordination. Staff said Washington County maintains the signals and has previously tested synchronization approaches; county staff told the city that in some configurations allowing the controllers to run free (responsive to traffic) provided better results, but the new lane geometry would prompt another examination of timing and coordination. Councilors also asked about pedestrian and bicycle impacts; staff said a buffered bike lane and a continental crosswalk would improve conditions for people walking and biking, and that the bike lane alignment will place cyclists between the right-turn lane and the through lane to reduce right-hook conflicts.

Next steps identified on Feb. 10 included contacting adjacent property owners for access discussions, further public engagement and advancing design for potential funding applications. Staff said Washington County has indicated it would continue to maintain its existing street list if intergovernmental arrangements are left in place; Clackamas County indicated it did not plan to reopen its maintenance intergovernmental agreement, which staff said is promising for the city's assumptions about future maintenance responsibilities.

Ending

No formal vote was taken. Staff will begin property-owner and community outreach, refine the design, and pursue funding paths with a view to advancing the project to design and construction as funding allows.