October 19, 2006

Washington County Commuter Rail construction begins

Innovative track rehabilitation work begins Oct. 23th

Construction on the 14.7-mile Washington County Commuter Rail line begins on Monday, Oct. 23rd. The project will use existing Portland & Western (P&W) freight tracks to serve the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville when it opens in September 2008. It is the first commuter rail line in Oregon, and among a handful of suburban-to-suburban commuter lines in the country.

P811

An 800-foot track machine – the P811 – will rebuild about 14 miles of the line over the next 30 days. The P811 removes existing spikes, ties, rail and ballast, and at the same time replaces these with all new materials, including concrete ties. Work will advance at about one mile/day. P&W will modify freight operations during this work, expected to last until Nov. 22nd. P811 work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with ballast deliveries occurring every day between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Benefits of the P811 are that it completes reconstruction work within 30 days, compared to traditional track rehab work taking six months, and the new track will significantly reduce maintenance requirements. The P811 is owned by Harsco Track Technologies out of Columbia, SC; and has been in operation for at least 20 years.

Road closures

The P811 will start in Wilsonville and travel north to Beaverton. At the 17 public road intersections it will cross, those intersections will be closed for up to two hours. Advance notice will be provided and detour routes provided when possible. Crews will work to avoid rush hour closures.

Intersection closures up to 2 hours between Oct. 24-Nov. 22

• Wilsonville/Washington County: Boeckman Rd and Tonquin Rd
• Tualatin: Avery, Teton, 95th Ave, Tualatin/Sherwood, Nyberg and Tualatin Rd
• Tigard: Durham, Bonita, Hall Blvd, Main Street, Tiedeman Rd and N Dakota
• Beaverton: Scholls Ferry Rd, Hall Blvd and 5th Ave