Red: short-term. Green: mid-term.
Blue: long-term.
(Image: Metro)

An arrow-straight railside trail between Hillsboro and Forest Grove would be one of the first phases of a planned bikeway through the heart of Washington County.

The Council Creek Regional Trail is a vision for a mostly off-road connection between Hillsboro, Forest Grove and Banks — which will also connect the westernmost stop in the MAX system with some of Oregon’s best rural bike routes, including the beloved Banks-Vernonia Trail and a possible future connection to the Pacific Coast.

When we last checked in on the planning process, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance was urging planners to choose the shorter, straighter “Rail 1” route between Hillsboro and Banks rather than a winding creekside alternative to the north.

According to the master plan published last month, the straight railside route was chosen, meaning that this is also likely to become, someday, a popular transportation connection west of Hillsboro.

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(Image: Google Maps.)

Washington County has opted to spend $125,000 to $175,000 on temporary repairs to its least sturdy bridge rather than close it to auto traffic.

As we wrote last month, the bridge on Porter Road northeast of Forest Grove is significant for biking because it’s part of the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway and might also become part of a “Council Creek Regional Trail” that would eventually create a low-stress link between Hillsboro and Banks.

It’s also significant for driving because it currently carries an estimated 1,100 motor vehicles per day.

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(Image: Google Maps.)

Part of the Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway might become virtually car-free if Washington County moves ahead with a proposal to end auto traffic over a small, failing bridge across Council Creek.

The county’s Department of Land Use and Transportation floated the idea last week in a public memo that described the situation for the bridge that carries Porter Road over the creek just north of Highway 47.

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Two main options for one segment of the proposed Council Creek Regional Trail, in purple and in red.
(Source: Metro)

The multi-agency team that’s planning a future off-road path across Washington County is trying to decide, among other issues: straight along the rails, or winding along the river?

The deadline for public input is next Wednesday, Nov. 19.

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Map from Metro showing proposed alignment of
Council Creek Regional Trail.

As the metro area’s rugged east side races to build its recreational bike network, the gentler, flatter west side is showing how persistence (and a steady stream of money) can pay off.

The farmland west and north of Hillsboro would get a 15-mile off-road paved path connecting the Hillsboro Central MAX station directly to the Banks-Vernonia Trail, making one of the region’s easiest bike-to-nature trips even easier, under a plan that’s starting to roll forward this month.

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