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About this episode

Over the past 25 years, the greater Portland-area has grown by more than 500,000 people – an increase of nearly 50% since 1980. People are choosing to come here, and young people are choosing to stay here and start families. As the region continues to grow and change there is a challenge to protect resident’s quality of life while continuing to enjoy the benefits of economic growth. Addressing this challenge means ensuring that roads and transportation improvements keep pace with the needs of residents, emergency responders and businesses. Nowhere is this challenge more clear than south of Portland between I-5 and Hwy 99 in the communities of Tualatin, Sherwood and Wilsonville. In the past decade alone, the population in these towns has increased by nearly 45%--which translates to more than 60,000 more trips each day on local roadways. Today, roads in the Tualatin, Sherwood and Wilsonville area are simply not adequate to meet the growing traffic demands going to and from I-5 and 99W. The result…? Too much traffic on neighborhood roads where it doesn't belongPossible life-threatening delays for emergency respondersStranded and delayed freight and deliveriesClogged retail and town centersAnd more congestion and stress for local residents and businesses Taking aim at these problems, leaders with Washington County, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Metro are working together to move forward towards a solution to the I-5 to 99W challenge.

• Release Date

  Aug 21, 2008

• Runtime

  06:53