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Council Creek Regional Trail project advances as federal and regional funds clear grant amendments
Summary
County staff reported progress on the East'West Council Creek Regional Trail: design and construction funding from the 2021 RAISE grant (~$12.2 million) plus Metro flexible funds (about $5.1 million with TDT credits), constrained trail sections where ballast limits width, and a draft FHWA grant amendment that would allow the county to resolve final design items and request construction authority.
Ernest Kaufins, senior project manager in county capital projects, updated the coordinating committee on the Council Creek Regional Trail East'West connection on June 23.
Kaufins said the corridor's master plan dates to 2015 and that the county has secured a combination of federal and regional funding to deliver the near-term East'West connection between the MAX in Hillsboro and downtown Forest Grove. "We received a RAISE grant in 2021 for about $12.2 million, with matching funds from TDT and city contributions," Kaufins said, and county staff later applied for Metro flexible funds to pay for enhanced crossings.
Design work shows a typical 12-foot trail section with two-foot shoulders, with constrained sections narrowed to 8 or 10 feet where right-of-way or ballast heights force reductions. Kaufins described planned bridge replacements (including new lighting and handrails), stormwater treatment trenches to convey runoff to treatment locations and a set of 23 evaluated crossings that will receive enhanced treatments such as rectangular rapid-flash beacons, raised crossings, signage, striping and lighting.
On permitting and schedule, Kaufins said the project completed NEPA approval in August 2024 and finalized design approvals with Federal Highway in September 2024, and TriMet conveyed a 25-year easement to the county in 2025 that allowed certification of the right-of-way. He said that in June FHWA informed staff it was reviewing grant contract documents and county staff had received a draft grant amendment the week before the meeting. "That means we can now finally resolve some design finding items," Kaufins said, and once design items are resolved, the county can request authorization to build.
Kaufins noted the project must meet federal timelines for use of certain grants (some RFFA/RIFRA funds must be used by 2030) and that construction sequencing will be coordinated so the trail and crossings can be delivered with the required federal stewards (FHWA for trail, ODOT for RFFA funds and TriMet for operations). Committee members asked about maintenance, in-water work windows for the bridge and interim maintenance of the corridor; Kaufins said a contractor is under contract to address trail maintenance and debris until construction begins.
Kaufins said the team aims to construct most of the trail in 2027 and complete the bridge work during an in-water window in 2028. He encouraged interested jurisdictions to await final notices on sequencing and open-house events before construction.
