KGW - Construction on Newberg-Dundee Bypass in Full Swing

News Article

By Keely Chalmers

Construction is in full swing on the Newberg-Dundee bypass that will route traffic around the often-congested towns.

It's a convenience for travelers that some worry will end up costing small local businesses.

For months, Cheryl Symolon has put up with the bypass construction in front of her Dundee home with the hope it will one day pay off.

"There's been pile driving and construction noise, trucks going up and down," she said.

Symolon lives not too far from Highway 99W. She says at certain times, the road is simply too crowded for her to feel safe driving on it.

"We don't go anywhere on Friday nights or Sunday nights because traffic is just so horrendous," she said.

According to ODOT the new bypass will reduce traffic along 99W by up to 40 percent.

The four-mile expressway will connect the east end of Newberg to the west end of Dundee. It will allow travelers, especially those heading to the coast, to bypass the two towns.

On Monday, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici toured the project.

"This is going to make a big difference for commuters to have a bypass so that they're not clogging up traffic," said Bonamici.

But Sarah Mehler, whose Newberg drive-thru coffee shop depends on a lot of that traffic, worries the bypass will cause customers to pass her by.

"It would be taking people away from the downtown and from the local businesses," she said.

The $262 million project is scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.

It is the first phase of a three-phase project that would ultimately create an 11-mile bypass extending down to Dayton.

But, according to ODOT, there's no funding currently for phase two or three.

Source