DOWL: Molalla Avenue Beavercreek Road to OR 213


 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2018, the City of Oregon City selected DOWL through an on-call contract to improve Molalla Avenue from Beavercreek Road to OR 213. Molalla Avenue is one of the oldest roads in Oregon, originally serving the state, region, and City of Oregon City when it was the state capital. Over time the road evolved from a primary route from Oregon City to Molalla to a state highway, and finally to its present use as a critical City arterial. The roadway supports a diverse network of stakeholders and uses, including a post office, fire station, local businesses, nearby schools, and housing, including housing developments for elderly and low-income residents. With financial support from Metro, the Beavercreek Road to OR 213 segment represents the last of three phases of rehabilitation that began over 20 years ago.

The main goals of the project included improving the multimodal facilities including bikes, peds and improved bus facilities, creating a safe corridor with improved lighting and buffered bike lanes while using the latest and creative industry solutions. The project also wanted to create a street that welcomed the public into the business and created comfortable and safe amenities.

DOWL successfully managed a large team of subconsultants and coordinated closely with the City, adjacent business owners, and TriMet to deliver this project on time and within budget. They creatively addressed multi-modal safety with buffered bike lanes, sidewalks, and ADA upgrades, and they coordinated extensively with TriMet to evaluate alternative configurations to identify the optimal bus stop locations relative to the proposed pedestrian and bicycle facilities while maintaining access during construction.

During construction, maintaining safety and minimizing disruptions was paramount in this busy urban corridor. Since the project had to be constructed under heavy traffic, DOWL went above and beyond to provide detailed traffic control plans to maintain pedestrian and bicyclist mobility during construction while maintaining vehicle and business access. They continually monitored the contractor’s traffic control and actively collaborated with the contractor and the City to design a plan that maximized safety. As a result of DOWL’s efforts, no one was hurt during construction.

The project was substantially complete in November 2021 with final completion in June 2023, and it completely reconstructed a road that had been built layer-upon-layer over the last 100 years. It made the corridor a continuously ADA-complaint facility with 45 new ramps, 40,000 SF of new sidewalk to infill all gaps, and upgraded bus stops. The project further enhanced pedestrian safety by creating multiple rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) crossings, replacing two signalized intersections, and constructing a new traffic signal all while maintaining public access. The project also addressed water supply issues encountered by the surrounding rapidly growing cities by installing a mile of water transmission main, repaired damaged storm and sanitary sewer pipelines.
Firm: DOWL

Client: City of Oregon City

Project: Molalla Avenue Beavercreek Road to OR 213

The One Thing You Should Know: This project is it took one of the oldest roads in the state and one of the most heavily traveled roads in Oregon City and reconstructed it from the ground-up while maintaining access on the road and for adjacent businesses to transform it into a safe, modern arterial.