County staff recommend shared‑lane design for Alexander Street in Aloha; board concurs

Washington County staff recommended a shared‑lane bicycle facility and widened sidewalks as the preferred design for the Alexander Street improvement project in the Aloha town center, and commissioners signaled their concurrence during a Feb. 4 work session.

Why it matters: the project is intended to implement the Aloha Town Center vision by improving vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle facilities on Alexander Street between 170 Eighth Avenue and 190 Second Avenue. The chosen alternative balances multimodal access against constrained right‑of‑way and funding limits and aims to support expected future redevelopment in the town center.

Project background and funding Project staff (Land Use and Transportation director Steven Roberts, capital project services manager Russ Knoebel and project manager Patrick Oakes) reviewed the project scope and three cross‑section alternatives. Funding for the project has been allocated from MSTIP 3e (preliminary design) and MSTIP 3f (final design and construction); staff reported total allocated funds of $23.7 million for the project.

Alternatives evaluated Staff presented three alternatives: - Alternative 1 (standard collector cross section): two vehicle lanes, 6‑foot bike lanes and 5‑foot sidewalks with on‑street parking; estimated…