The Real Story – A Column
A little over a year ago, the Hillsboro Herald covered the story of the proposed Crescent Park Greenway Trail crossing over Brookwood Parkway. The project is needed to provide pedestrians with a safe way to cross the six-lane super expressway, which has become Hillsboro’s main access point to US 26. Here is a link to our story, which was a top-to-bottom review of the generational trail, which has just started to be built, this difficult crossing, and the options that were being looked at last year-
Bridge Over Brookwood On The Agenda As The Crescent Park Greenway Trail Takes Center Stage
What Is Happening Now?
Yesterday, the City posted on its Facebook page, and the comments immediately took off. As Hillsboro works harder and harder on engagement, more and more people are sounding off. The comments were heavily weighted by those stating that bicycles and people with mobility issues could manage to get up and over. The proposals at this point are all centered on going 60-plus feet up and over Brookwood.
With equitable and fair access needed for all citizens, is there any way a staircase can be considered viable without an elevator? And Bikes upstairs? Yikes! The trail is just getting going, and now it faces a huge obstacle. But in Hillsboro fashion, the problem must be taken on, and now is the time to discuss this before MIllions and Millions are spent to make this happen. In a time when the State of Oregon and Washington County are seemingly on the edge of insolvency, this crossing would be a bold move indeed!
Check out these other designs – all seek to solve the issues of accessibility, but they look much more expensive and make the crossing a much more lengthy process.
Many other commentators argue that this crossing is unnecessary and that a crosswalk would be a more effective solution. That may be, but it would kill off commerce, and with a massive Amazon hub and Intel employees using this route, a crossing at this spot would be next to impossible.
Another Option?
Another obvious option is to take the trail around Brookwood Crossing. Those who planned the Crescent Park Greenway trail knew this would be an issue from the start. And, of course, everyone has given this thought. It is not the end of the world if bikers or walkers have to use the new sidewalks and bike paths, but it won’t be as impressive or as functional. Here is the option as it stands to do nothing now. And that wouldn’t be the end of the world, as this section of the larger trail plan is located entirely within an industrial park in the Data Center Canyon. The natural areas are disturbed, and although plantings have been made, Waibel Creek is currently located in a man-made drainage system at this point.
One of the primary issues will be cost. If this crossing is going to cost $30 million (a guess, but probably within the range), would that money be better spent on the trail, which will be more bucolic and worth walking/riding on? Budget and time will tell. The trail does not have to be built sequentially. Here is a diagram of the trail as it will unfold, with Section C heading west to Section D, which may be ready sooner than this section. That will be a beautiful, wild area to enjoy, and it could connect Jackson School and NW Hillsboro immediately to these beautiful natural areas along the Vanderzanden Reservoir and Waible Creek wetlands.
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN- HIT THE OPEN HOUSES AND GET INVOLVED!
Concepts for a new pedestrian bridge over Brookwood Parkway are in preliminary design phases thanks to a grant from Metro!The bridge would connect the newly-constructed Crescent Park Greenway trail on the west side of NE Brookwood, to the future trail on the east side, which will eventually connect to Gordon Faber Recreation Complex.This project will define what a crossing would look like, where it could be placed, and how people will get up and over the bridge. There are three public open houses planned for this project with the first on October 15, 2025.As the project moves forward over the next year and a half, there will be more opportunities for the community to review options and weigh in.– Open House #1: Bridge Design– Wednesday, October 15, 6 to 8 pm– Hidden Creek Community
1. Even the renderings can’t hide the aesthetic monstrosity of those Majestic properties to the south. Until some of those trees come in, that section of Brookwood is “Parkway” in name only.
2. The crosswalk suggestion for that crossing is 1. Madness 2. The brainchild of individuals who’ve never crossed TVH on any given day and 3. The mad ramblings of people who’d last a minute on Queens Boulevard.
3. How do none of these renderings contain the seemingly simplest answer: The small-footprint switchback ramps that Portland employs on either side of I-5 pedestrian crossings?
4. As I listen to the construction equipment on the Van Rose property do its backup dance for the morning, I can’t help thinking that the Greenway segmant between the reservoir, the remnants of the tulip farm, and that newly-installed catch basin seem to be the loveliest part of this project so far. P.S. Finishing Jackson School by the end of September proved a bit too ambitious even with the road completely closed for weeks at a time.