Due to pedestrian safety concerns and increased traffic going from Buxton to Historic Columbia River Highway, especially during commute hours, Multnomah County will be making some changes to the intersection on Wednesday, August 25.
The work is expected to be completed in one day and flaggers will direct traffic when a lane needs to be closed.
The biggest change drivers will notice will be that stop signs will be added to Historic Columbia River Highway in both directions at Buxton. Vehicles traveling eastbound on HCRH will be allowed to turn right at Buxton without stopping, but must yield to pedestrians. A yield to pedestrians sign will be added.
There will also be changes made to the crosswalks at the intersection in order to increase safety for pedestrians:
- the crosswalk on the west side of the intersection across HCRH at Buxton will be closed
- the crosswalk on the east side of the intersection across HCRH at Buxton will be improved by adding curb extensions on both sides of the crosswalk to create a protected and highly visible area for pedestrians to wait to cross the street
- the crosswalk across Buxton Rd. will ne re-striped to improve visibility
For several years, drivers have been allowed to make a free right turn southbound onto Buxton from eastbound Historic Columbia River Highway. But while this has helped move traffic safely through the intersection, it has also been a cause of confusion for those northbound on Buxton or westbound on Historic Columbia River Highway.
The City of Troutdale and Multnomah County, along with private traffic engineers, have been working over the last year to decide how to make this section work better. The making of the intersection into a 3-way stop, while maintaining the free right turn, will enhance the safety of the intersection. It will also enhance pedestrian safety in all of downtown as it will have calming influence on those who exceed the 20 mph speed limit on the Historic Columbia River Highway
This section of Historic Columbia River Highway is maintained by Multnomah County. More information is available at multco.us/roads.