Work remains after water main break closed Cornelius Pass Road in Hillsboro

Published 2:10 pm Tuesday, April 1, 2025

A stretch of Cornelius Pass Road in Hillsboro has reopened following a large water main break, though further repair work remains.

The road was first closed Tuesday, March 25, between Southeast Frances Street and East Main Street after a leak led to a sinkhole at the intersection, causing lane closures and traffic disruptions.

According to the city of Hillsboro, crews completed a temporary pavement fix to reopen the intersection of Cornelius Pass Road and Frances Street by Friday, March 28, but a permanent fix to the waterline will have to wait until the summer.

The leak was first detected early Tuesday morning when Hillsboro Water crews responded to reports of a pressure drop in the South Transmission Line — with the issue traced to a water main break outside Hillsboro’s water system.

According to a spokesperson for the Tualatin Valley Water District, the break occurred in a section of the Willamette Water Supply, a regional water system developed in partnership between TVWD and the cities of Hillsboro and Beaverton to deliver water from the Willamette River.

The cause of the rupture is under investigation, but the resulting underground damage impacted nearby infrastructure, temporarily severing water service to one customer. That connection was restored the following morning, and Hillsboro officials confirmed that water remained safe to use and drink throughout the incident.

“It’s not currently a critical water main to TVWD,” the spokesperson told the News-Times.

With Brown Middle School located nearby, officials said full repairs will be postponed until summer to avoid disrupting school traffic and pedestrian routes.

“Because it was during spring break, it lessened the impact on the middle school,” a spokesperson said. “We’ll come back in the summer and finish those repairs when they’re out of school, it makes everything easier on the surrounding community.”

The Willamette Water Supply Program and Tualatin Valley Water District are coordinating the repair efforts, the city of Hillsboro noted. The affected pipeline was built in conjunction with Washington County’s Cornelius Pass Road expansion between Frances Street and Tualatin Valley Highway.

For updates on the repair schedule, contact info@ourreliablewater.org or the Willamette Water Supply Program.