PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – First-term Tigard Mayor Heidi Lueb is advocating for an Oregon House bill that aims to increase safety on Southwest Hall Boulevard by transferring jurisdiction from the Oregon Department of Transportation to the City of Tigard.
Addressing safety concerns along the roadway has been a top priority of the mayor since she was sworn in in January.
“Right now, it’s one of the main roads in our city, but it’s not ours and it’s one of the number one complaints that we get – about the status and the safety of the road,” Mayor Luebe said.
She added, “we’re really working with our state and federal representatives to look for the $50 million it’s going to take, not only to get the street up to a state of good repair, but to really focus on that safety for our community to be able to have a safe street to get around in and not just prioritizing cars.”
The 1.1-mile stretch of road is near multiple apartment complexes, commercial businesses and Metzger Park.
In March, ODOT aimed to make safety improvements to SW Hall Boulevard and reduced the speed limit from 40 mph to 30 mph — posting the new speed limit signs from Southwest Pfaffle Street to Southwest 92nd Avenue.
According to ODOT data, there were more than 180 crashes along this segment of Hall Boulevard from 2016 to 2021. Those included a fatal crash where a driver turned right into a fixed object, something that was permanently in place near the road. There have also been bicycle and pedestrian crashes.
In March 2022, a pedestrian died and another was severely injured while attempting to cross Hall Boulevard near Lucille Court.
“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 previously told KOIN 6 News. “This first step, lowering the speed by 10 mph, will save lives.”
As HB 2756 sits under the Joint Committee on Transportation, Mayor Luebe says, “the city is really excited to take it over and to maintain it and make sure that it works for our community.”