Wilsonville Collaborates to Reduce Traffic Congestion at I-5 Boone Bridge Chokepoint

City works with ODOT and area legislators to advance the “I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan” for I-5 Boone Bridge southbound auxiliary lane and seismic resilience retrofit project, Exit 283 to Exit 282A

Introduced by Sen. Alan Olsen of Canby and as amended by Rep. Courtney Neron of Wilsonville, Senate Bill 1021-1 would provide $3.5 million in ‘seed money’ to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for preliminary engineering and design for the “I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan” for I-5 Boone Bridge southbound auxiliary lane and seismic resilience retrofit project, Exit 283 to Exit 282A.

On May 20, the Joint Transportation Committee held a work session and SB 1021-1 passed unanimously with a “Do-Pass” recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. Currently, SB 1021-1 does not have a hearing scheduled.

If you are interested in participating in the public process on this proposed legislation, contact legislative leaders and members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development to voice your thoughts.

Legislative Leadership

Senate President Peter Courtney
District 11 – Salem, Woodburn
503-986-1600 l Email

House Speaker Tina Kotek
District 44 - N/NE Portland
503-986-1200 l Email

Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development

Senator James Manning Jr.
Co-Chair, District 7 - North Eugene, West Eugene, Santa Clara, and Junction City
503-986-1707 l Email

Representative David Gomberg
Co-Chair, District 10 - Central Coast, Lincoln City, Newport, Pacific City
503-986-1410 l Email

Senator Jeff Golden
Member, District 3 - Ashland, Medford
503-986-1703 l Email

Senator Bill Hansell
Member, District 29 – Pendleton, Hermiston, Athena
503-986-1729 l Email

Representative Paul Evans
Member, District 20 - West Salem, South Salem, Monmouth, Independence
503-986-1420 l Email

Representative Gary Leif
Member, District 2 - Grants Pass, Roseburg
503-986-1402 l Email

Representative Bill Post
Member, District 25 – Newberg, Keizer, St. Paul
503-986-1425 l Email

Representative Rachel Prusak
Member, District 37 – Tualatin, West Linn, Stafford
503-986-1437 l Email

Key Talking Points for SB 1021-1

Project corrects a highway design deficiency of the interchange of I-5 at the Boone Bridge with Oregon Route 99E connector State Highway 551 that serves Canby, Molalla and Woodburn, and seismically upgrades I-5 Boone Bridge over the Willamette River to withstand a Cascadia 9.0 earthquake.
Currently extensive traffic weaving between lanes induces slow-downs and accidents; the addition of an auxiliary lane provides more space for drivers to merge or change lanes in a safer manner.
The I-5 south metro corridor is a key West Coast interstate freight-movement route between California and Washington.
The I-5 Boone Bridge carries nearly as much traffic as the I-5 “Columbia River Crossing” Interstate Bridge, but one-third more semi-trucks.
Currently, the I-5 Boone Bridge area experiences up to 4.5 hours of daily congestion, with evening commute speeds dropping to 25 mph and traffic backing-up to I-205.
While the total estimated cost for the project is $120 million, the $3.5 million appropriated by SB 1021-1 facilitates ODOT’s ability to undertake preliminary engineering and design that will yield a firm cost estimate and position the State to leverage federal highway funding.

More Information on the “I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan”

Following are links to documents and articles that provide more information SB 1021-1 and the “I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan”:

Information about SB 1021-1

Senate Bill 1021-1 legislative overview
Wilsonville Mayor Knapp Testimony in Support of SB 1021, May 15, 2019
Complete set of all testimony on SB 1021, May 15, 2019
Article – “State committee considers merits of Boone Bridge bill,” Wilsonville Spokesman, May 21, 2019
Article – “Senate Bill Would Target Boone Bridge, Canby Exit to Ease Traffic Congestion on I-5,” Canby Now, May 16, 2019
Article – “Wilsonville officials push for Boone Bridge, I-5 southbound auxiliary lane project,” Wilsonville Spokesman, April 8, 2019

Information about ‘I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan’ for I-5 Boone Bridge Southbound Auxiliary Lane and Seismic Resilience Retrofit Project

I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan (39 pages; 3 MB)
I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan with Appendices (167 pages; 7 MB)
ODOT I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan webpage
Article – “Wilsonville, ODOT Partner To Improve Traffic On I-5, Boone Bridge,” Patch.com, Dec 29, 2017

Project Background

The I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan arose from a joint ODOT-City of Wilsonville Southbound I-5 Boone Bridge Congestion Study. The study is one component of several projects that the City is undertaking to reduce morning and evening commute-hours traffic congestion along the South Metro I-5 Corridor and in the I-5/Wilsonville Road interchange area.

Additionally, the planning effort is part of the larger Wilsonville City Council-directed push for a more comprehensive “South Metro I-5 Corridor Study” that would examine the costs and benefits of both a range of potential highway improvements to I-5 from Tigard/Highway 217 to Aurora/Donald Ehlen Road Exit 278, along with increased public-transit options.

After the Council approved a $50,000 City contribution to the study, the planning process started in October 2017 and concluded in the summer of 2018. The Oregon Transportation Commission adopted the I-5 Wilsonville Facility Plan as a component of the Oregon Highway Plan in July 2018.

During legislative hearings on the successful “Transportation Investment Package” (House Bill 2017) passed in 2017, a Congestion & Freight Mobility Workgroup estimated that the “Boone Bridge & Lanes” project would cost $120 million and could be constructed in the 2028-2040 timeframe. The City and ODOT seek to accelerate potential consideration of the project by obtaining a more accurate cost estimate and traffic-mitigation impact of potential improvements.

Traffic Issues with the Southbound I-5 Boone Bridge Area

The one-mile-long stretch of southbound I-5 from Wilsonville Road Exit 283 past Miley Road Exit 282B (Charbonneau) to Highway 551 Exit 282A (Wilsonville-Hubbard cut-off) has a number of problems.

Symptoms of the Traffic Congestion Problem

Traffic bottleneck between I-5 Wilsonville Road interchange (Exit 283) and two nearby interchanges at Miley Road (Charbonneau Exit 282B) and Wilsonville-Hubbard Cut-off Highway 551 (Exit 282A).
Up to 4.5 hours of daily congestion.
Evening commute speeds drop to 25 mph, with the PM queue backing-up to I-205.
I-5 congestion causes spill back on Wilsonville Road and nearby intersections at Boones Ferry Road and Town Center Loop West.

Contributing Factors to Worsening Congestion

Over 129,000 vehicles per day pass-by Wilsonville on I-5, with 62,000 vehicles crossing the Boone Bridge going south. For comparison, the I-5 Boone Bridge carries nearly as much traffic as the I-5 “Columbia River Crossing” Interstate Bridge—only four percent less traffic—and one-third more semi-trucks.
Extensive traffic weaving between lanes that induces slow-downs and accidents: More than 20% of the evening peak-hours traffic enters I-5 at Wilsonville Road on-ramp while over 35% of the traffic exits at Charbonneau or Wilsonville-Hubbard Cut-off Highway 551 that also accesses Canby. Over the four-year period of 2011-15, this stretch of I-5 had 148 automobile accidents.

City Council Approves Agreements with ODOT for I-5/Wilsonville Road Interchange, Boone Bridge Study, and More Traffic Mitigation Plans

In October 2017, the City Council approved an agreement with the Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT) for a construction project to modify the I-5/Wilsonville Road interchange Exit 283 southbound freeway on-ramp. The $700,000 project adds a third stacking lane to the metered I-5 on-ramp in order to increase capacity to hold an additional 25 vehicles waiting to enter the freeway during evening rush-hour.
The project is part of five congestion-improvement projects approved by the City Council totaling an approximately $1 million in the I-5/Wilsonville Road/Boones Ferry Road intersection area designed to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

Other congestion-relief projects include:

Lengthening the southbound Boones Ferry Road double left-turn lanes onto eastbound Wilsonville Road, which is complete.
Reconstructing the southern, signalized entrance/exit to Old Town Square/Fred Meyer shopping center to include a second travel lane on northbound Boones Ferry Road between the exit/entrance and Wilsonville Road.
Signing “No Turn on Red” during evening rush-hour for right-turn movements from northbound Boones Ferry Road onto eastbound Wilsonville Road.
Working with ODOT on the Southbound I-5 Boone Bridge Auxiliary Lane Study; see page 1 for details.
Considering installing ‘red-light’ cameras to deter running red lights and blocking intersections.

I-5 in Wilsonville area featured on KGW TV - Click to watch