County Opens River Road and Witch Hazel Road. Bridge itself remains closed for construction.

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 02, 2009

Washington County's Department of Land Use and Transportation will open River Road in Hillsboro between Davis and Witch Hazel and SE Witch Hazel Road between SE River Road and SE 39th Avenue Wednesday April 1, 2009. The closures were necessary in order to install new sanitary sewers, storm sewer systems and widen the road.

River Road between Rood Bridge Road and Witch Hazel Road, (the location of the bridge) will remain closed to all the traveling public, including pedestrians and bicyclists, through January 2010. That bridge over Rock Creek is being removed and replaced. Detour routes will remain posted; the detour route is a maximum of 3.5 miles each way. Local access to residences and businesses and for emergency services and service providers will be allowed, but no through access will available.

The improvements will replace the bridge over Rock Creek and widen River Road between Rood Bridge Road and Davis Road to three lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks. The project is funded by Washington County's Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP), in partnership with the City of Hillsboro, Clean Water Services and the Hillsboro School District. For additional information or inquiries about the closure please contact Abe Turki, Project Manager at (503) 846-7859 or email at [email protected].

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