Closures coming to Stafford Road, drivers will be asked to detour

Published 2:23 pm Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Improvements on Stafford Road between Lake Oswego, West Linn and Tualatin will lead to road closures beginning next month.

The improvements, which are being undertaken by Clackamas County, will see the addition of a roundabout at the Childs Road intersection, realigning of the Johnson Road intersection and addition of bike lanes along the roadway from Rosemont Road to Pattulo Way.

The county has worked on planning the improvements, which are ultimately meant to increase traffic safety on Stafford, for the past several years.

At a recent meeting of the West Linn City Council, county transportation officials involved with the project provided an update and shared information about upcoming road closures and plans for traffic detours.

According to county transportation staff, closures on Stafford Road could begin as early as May 1. Project manager Jonathan Hangartner said the first closure will take place over the spring and summer, covering Stafford Road from Johnson Road to Pattulo Way. Between this summer and fall, Stafford between Johnson and Rosemont would close as well as Childs Road.

Throughout the winter, the project will focus on utility relocations rather than road improvements, which Hangartner said should be possible with traffic flagging and lane closures rather than full road closures on Stafford Road, though part of Childs Road would remain closed.

Between the spring and summer of 2026, Stafford would again be closed north of Childs Road and south of Johnson Road between summer and fall.

Hangartner said these timelines and closures could change because the contractor is allowed to propose an alternative schedule. He also said the county felt the closures were justified given the amount of work to be done and the narrowness of the road.

During the closures, the county will recommend a detour that takes drivers from I-5 to Boones Ferry Road.

County Transportation Safety Program Manager Joseph Marek said the county staff worked with both the city of Lake Oswego and West Linn to determine the detours that would make the most sense.

“We looked at options for using Oregon 43 and that was actually looking good until the construction schedules for Abernethy Bridge changed and they ended up being in conflict,” Marek said.

Marek said there was sufficient capacity on both I-5 and Boones Ferry Road to handle additional traffic from the detour.

“We know it’s going to be inconvenient, but also this is a very substantial safety improvement for this intersection,” he said.