PORTLAND, Ore. — Northwest Cornell Road carries about 10,000 cars a day through Portland's West Hills. It’s been closed east of Skyline Boulevard since August while the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) made important repairs to the two tunnels just east of the Portland Audubon Society.
"We had some cracking and spalling,” said Dylan Rivera, spokesperson for PBOT.
The detour for most is the Sunset Highway (Highway 26) or West Burnside — a road already choked with about 20,000 cars a day, funneling through a two-lane tunnel of its own.
“You have to hope that there’s enough of an opening to cross Skyline, but since traffic is back up bumper to bumper on the other side, there’s no way for you to get in,” said Barry Newman, who regularly has to navigate the relentless traffic on West Burnside.
The tunnel repair is mostly complete, but PBOT has not yet said when the road will reopen. The reason for that is permitting.
"We hope to have an update on the timeframe in a few weeks," said Rivera.
Portland General Electric (PGE) needs to get clearance to do some tree trimming in the area before they can power up new lighting in the tunnel.
This part of the process has local drivers like Newman frustrated.
"It’s just crazy that, nearly a year has gone by, and now they suddenly realized that they have no right-of-way to bring power out to the lights in the tunnels?"
"Once PGE receives the appropriate permits from the Portland Bureau of Development Services, our vegetation management crews will be able to clear the trees, which will pave the way for our line crews to safely complete the necessary electrical work," said PGE Spokesperson Brianne Hyder.
"We appreciate everyone's patience. With an extended closure like this, we know it's a major inconvenience," Rivera said.