Closures on Stafford Road due to road construction by Clackamas County have led many residents to alter when they drive and the routes they take since the roadwork began May 5.

More than half of the 59 people who responded to a recent survey by the Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tidings said they’ve changed their driving habits in response to the work on Stafford.

The county project will add a roundabout at the Childs Road intersection, widen the roadway and add bike lanes between Rosemont Road and Pattulo Way, and realign the intersection with Johnson Road.

All but one of the respondents also shared they’ve been caught in traffic due to the roadwork.

According to the observations and experiences of survey respondents, Salamo Road, Highway 43, Rosemont, Johnson, Borland and Willamette Falls Drive have seen the most additional traffic since roadwork began.

“It used to take me 2 minutes to get to work, now it takes 30-45 minutes,” one respondent said.

Another respondent said they now give themselves an additional 15 minutes to get places.

For some though, the closure means getting stuck in traffic is unavoidable – especially when they have schedules they can’t alter to avoid the heaviest traffic times.

Some readers also expressed frustration and felt the resulting traffic could be better managed.

“It doesn’t feel like there was good community communication about how Clackamas County, West Linn and ODOT are coordinating and what steps they are taking to address the issue,” one person wrote.

A few suggested keeping Stafford Road partially open and using flaggers to control traffic, or shifting the closures to nighttime when the roadway is least busy. Others felt there should be more information shared about the closures, more posted signs about the detour and more speed signs. One respondent said altering the timing of the traffic light at 10th Street and I-205, which has seen major backups since the project began, could help.

Some readers also stated other drivers need to slow down when cutting through neighborhood streets to get around the project.

Despite the frustration of some readers, others shared the current headache is a reasonable price to pay for an ultimately safer Stafford.

“A little inconvenience for a better future,” one person said.

While the project is slated to last into the summer of 2026, the county plans to partially open one lane of Stafford and use flaggers to control traffic for portions of the project, including this coming winter.