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 minimum right‑of‑way need ~76 feet. - Alternative 2 (segregated cycle track): conceptual cycle track with landscape strips and on‑street parking in places; estimated minimum right‑of‑way need ~71 feet. The cycle‑track option tracks the concept from the earlier Aloha Tomorrow study but, staff said, carries elevated right‑of‑way impacts and potential pedestrian/cyclist conflict in an area expected to have high sidewalk activity. - Alternative 3 (recommended): shared vehicle/bicycle lanes (marked with sharrows), 10‑foot sidewalks and alternating on‑street parking and landscaping; estimated minimum right‑of‑way need ~63 feet.

Costs and right‑of‑way impacts Staff compared relative costs and right‑of‑way (ROW) acquisition impacts. They reported ROW cost estimates of roughly $6,000,000 for Alternative 1, $4,000,000 for Alternative 2 and $1,800,000 for Alternative 3. Total project cost estimates ranged from about $19.4 million for Alternative 3 to about $25.5 million for Alternative 1. Given the county’s current MSTIP funding allocation ($23.7 million), staff said Alternatives 2 and 3 fit within available budget but Alternative 1 would exceed the allocation.

Community engagement and technical concerns Staff summarized an online open house (December 2023) that drew 437 visitors and 25 respondents or commenters: eight respondents expressed support, three raised concerns about roadway width and impacts on property, two cited concerns about the Alexander/180th/TV Highway intersection, and three raised tree‑removal concerns.

Engineering, traffic and design considerations Staff noted the segment has multiple driveways (57 identified), several cross streets and one major intersection at 180th that currently lacks a through crossing for Alexander. Because right‑of‑way widths vary along Alexander (an average of roughly 55 feet in the existing corridor), staff concluded a cycle track would require notable acquisition or building impacts in places. To limit property impacts, staff proposed targeted sidewalk shifts (placing sidewalk adjacent to the roadway in small sections), limited undergrounding of overhead utilities where necessary, and use of low‑impact development (LID) features such as planted infiltration swales to manage stormwater.

Traffic calming and pedestrian safety Staff said they will pursue design features that support lower driving speeds — for example bulb‑outs, raised crossings and radar speed feedback signs — and will coordinate with the Oregon Department of Transportation on signal timing and any potential pedestrian signal at the 180th intersection to avoid queuing on TV Highway.

Board direction and vote After questions from commissioners about speed mitigation, stormwater treatment, signal coordination with ODOT and how the recommended approach compares to downtown street designs in nearby cities, the board indicated support for staff’s recommendation (Alternative 3). Staff said they will proceed with the recommended design and return with further design details, right‑of‑way needs and construction staging plans.

Limitations and next steps Staff warned that some elements remain contingent on future redevelopment (which can provide additional right‑of‑way dedications through conditions of approval) and on regional and federal funding sources for some sidewalk connection projects. Staff will return with detailed plan sets, ROW maps and refined cost estimates as the design phase advances.

Speakers The presentation and Q&A were led by Steven Roberts (director, Land Use and Transportation), Russ Knoebel (capital project services division manager) and Patrick Oakes (senior project manager). Several commissioners participated in the discussion and requested data on signal timing at adjacent arterials and the expected pedestrian crossing configuration at 180th and TV Highway.