Traffic Woes

Now that school is back in session, traffic has gotten worse. (Or maybe it's gone back to normal and the summer months are just a nice reprieve??) After commuting the entire length of Hwy 217 for the past 4 1/2 years, I have figured out exactly how to minimize your time spent in the gridlock that is Beaverton. We will start our tour at Exit 7 / 72nd exit heading north toward Hwy 26.

1. Merge as SOON as possible. This is NO joke. The longer you wait to merge, the less likely someone will let you in. And trust me, you do NOT, I repeat, do NOT want to stay in the exit lane and mess with the light on 99W. . .especially if you're turning left. That in itself should be a rule in general: Never get off 217 at the Hwy 99 exit exit and plan to turn left. Your youngest kid will graduate high school before that thing turns green.

2. Now that you are officially part of the 217-ers, get into the left hand lane. As you pass the Hwy 99 & Greenburg exits, the left hand lane will be moving faster (as it should be.)

3. This next step is kind of situational, so we'll break it up into part A and part B. When approaching the Scholls Ferry exit, look farther down the freeway. Do you see free flowing traffic and no brake lights? Great. You have lucked out and this is part A. Do you see brake lights in your lane ahead (the fast lane)? Get over into the right lane NOW! More people are getting off at the Scholls Ferry exit than getting on from the Greenburg exit, so there are way fewer cars. Now's your chance - make a run for it!

4. We now approach the Hall overpass and traffic is coming onto 217 but no one is getting off. You will now see millions of red lights. No, Christmas has not come early. Everyone has come to a stop - in both lanes. Now is the time to get back into the fast lane because from here on out, it will stay the fast lane. Try to do it before the Denny exit because that's when a lot of semis and construction trucks want to join the rush hour party. There's just something not fun about following a cement truck at 30 MPH.

5. Both lanes will experience a bit of a slow down approaching the Canyon, Beaverton-Hillsdale, TV-Hwy, exit but after that, it will be smooth sailing for both.

And that my friends is your Hwy 217 morning survival guide. I guarantee you'll shave at least 2 minutes off your commute, or your money back.

Oh, and on the way home, get in the left lane and stay there.