ODOT to Reduce Speed on Portion of Hall Blvd Effective March 20, 2023
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has approved the City of Tigard’s request to lower the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph on Hall Boulevard between SW Pfaffle Street and SW 92nd Avenue (92nd Avenue is located approximately 600 feet east of the Hall/Greenburg Rd Intersection. This location is not a typical full access intersection, but a gated emergency access.) ODOT will install new speed signage the week of March 20, 2023. Tigard Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, who patrol this corridor, will issue warnings for drivers exceeding the new 30 mph speed limit for the first 30 days after signage is posted. The speed limit reduction will have little to no impact on traffic congestion.
The city requested this change to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users. This section of Hall Boulevard includes the location of the fatal hit and run in March 2022 in which Karen Kain lost her life and her mother was seriously injured.
The city has been working with ODOT for several years to improve safety, access, and ease for travelers using all travel modes. The jurisdictions are also working together to transfer the corridor from a state-owned facility to a corridor owned and maintained by the city. A successful transfer of the portion of Hall Boulevard running through Tigard to city ownership will allow progress to be made on the community’s vision for this corridor.
“This action is one among many upcoming changes to Hall Boulevard that our community can look forward to as we center safer mobility in Tigard,” Tigard Mayor Heidi Lueb said. “This is part of our plan to achieve our community vision for a roadway that provides safer and more comfortable mobility for all community members.”
“ODOT has several safety improvements coming to Hall Boulevard in the next few years, including rapid flashing beacons, new sidewalks and ADA ramps,” ODOT Region 1 Manager Rian Windsheimer said. “This first step, lowing the speed by 10 MPH, will save lives.”
Improving safety for all roadway users is a top priority for the city and reducing vehicle speed is a key method to realizing this objective. As part of its Safe Streets initiative, the City of Tigard has been working to reduce speed limits on many residential streets from 25 mph to 20 mph, understanding that even a minor 5 mph decrease in speed limits reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) reports that speed is a central factor in traffic deaths. According to NACTO, “a vehicle speed at the time of impact is directly correlated to whether a person will live or die. A person hit by a car traveling at 35 miles per hour is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling at 20 miles per hour.”
