PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With traffic ranking as the number one concern among Tualatin residents, according to a community survey, Mayor Frank Bubenik is ushering in infrastructure projects to improve traffic congestion and pedestrian safety as part of the city’s Moving Forward campaign.
The campaign, funded through a $20 million bond passed in 2018, has seen 22 completed infrastructure projects so far, with an additional 12 projects to be completed in 2023 — including re-striping Tualatin Sherwood Road, adding sidewalks along Highway 99E and improved pedestrian access on Boones Ferry Road, Mayor Bubenik said.
These safety improvements come as the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it is closing 181 crosswalks in the Portland metro area out of safety concerns, including in Tualatin.
As the city works to improve pedestrian safety, it is also closing out its Share the Love campaign, in which community members scout out 175 glass-blown hearts hidden around the city and parks.
The mayor says the campaign began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and encourages community members to visit local parks in the month of February.
“We’re encouraging people to get out of their house, take a walk, check out our parks, check out our trails and they’ll find these little hearts laying there or sitting in nooks and crannies. You don’t have to climb to get them, you don’t have to dig to get them,” Bubenik said. “What we ask is that you take the heart with you and post it on social media or re-hide it and let someone else find the next one.”
As the city encourages community members to visit local parks, Tualatin voters also passed a November 2022 bond to re-invigorate parks and trails. This includes buying more park land, play structures and building a Veteran’s Plaza for Memorial Day events near Tualatin Commons.
Watch the video above to learn more.