Update from Washington County Land Use & Transportation on September 5, 2025: 

Road repairs to the Cornelius Pass Road and Frances Street intersection, resulting from the March 25 Willamette Water Supply System (WWSP) waterline break, are complete.

However, intermittent lane changes at York and Johnson streets will continue through September to allow for WWSP access to manholes. Final road striping – resulting in a half-day traffic disruption – will occur within a few weeks.

“This incident required a complex series of repairs that were obviously unexpected,” said Charles Stearns, Principal Project Manager, Land Use & Transportation (LUT) Capital Projects Services Division.

“It took a lot of jurisdictional, agency and contractor cooperation to get the situation under control and the roads, pedestrian facilities and waterlines functioning.”

The WWSP waterline break occurred on an18-inch pipeline, creating a large sinkhole in the intersection. In addition to the roads, damage included a City of Hillsboro waterline, four crosswalks and traffic signal. Nearby residences sustained water damage.

Temporary repairs were initially expected to take a week or more. However, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Washington County, Tapani Inc. contracting, Hillsboro School District, Hillsboro Water, Hillsboro Parks & Recreation, PGE and WWSP, temporary repairs were completed and the intersection reopened on March 28 – three days after the waterline break.

Cornelius Pass Road and SE Frances Street Repair Update as of July 31, 2025:

Water line, sidewalk, and road repairs at the SE Cornelius Pass Road and SE Frances Street intersection have begun for a permanent water line fix. Construction will normally take place between 7 am – 5 pm and is anticipated to be complete before school resumes in September. 

Cornelius Pass Lane Changes: July & August

Throughout July and August, construction crews will intermittently reduce and shift lanes to access the 48” waterline for repairs. Lane shifts will be coordinated with Washington County and will typically occur between 9 am – 3 pm.

Frances Street Road Closure: August 4, 2025

• Left turn lane from northbound Cornelius Pass Road to Frances St will be closed.
• Frances St will be closed east of school entrance; local traffic only allowed to access Reedville Park and R.A. Brown Middle School.
• Detour signs will be in place.

Pedestrian Detour

Two crosswalks will remain temporarily closed due to sidewalk damage. Signage and flagging directs pedestrians to the open crosswalks.

Summer Access to R.A. Brown Middle School 

Summer programs planned for R.A. Brown Middle School have been shifted to other locations to safely allow for construction at the Frances/Cornelius Pass Road intersection. During construction, the north sports fields and bus loop parking lot will remain open and in use, and the school’s main parking lot off Frances Street will be accessible from the west only.

Reedville Creek Park 

The park, restrooms, skatepark, picnic shelter, and parking lot will remain open. During construction, access will be from the west only on Frances Street. During construction access may be limited, but efforts will be made to keep facilities open.

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Original Article Published 03/28/2025

Cornelius Pass Road and SE Frances Street have reopened to traffic following a large water line leak on March 25. The leak eventually caused a sinkhole to develop in the intersection, leading to lane closures that impacted traffic. 

A temporary pavement fix to reopen the intersection to traffic was completed on Friday, March 28. A permanent fix to the waterline will take place this summer. Currently, a pedestrian detour is in place. Pedestrians have access to cross Frances Street at the SE 74th Avenue crosswalk. 

Hillsboro Water crews responded on Tuesday morning to a decrease in pressure in the South Transmission Line and found the issue originated outside of Hillsboro's water system. Damage from the leak severed the water connection to one customer. Water service for that customer was restored the next morning. 

Water remained safe to use and drink for all Hillsboro Water customers during the incident.

The Willamette Water Supply Program and Tualatin Valley Water District are coordinating repair efforts. The pipeline was built in partnership with Washington County’s Cornelius Pass Road expansion between Frances Street and Tualatin Valley Highway.

For more information on the status of repairs, contact info@ourreliablewater.org and the Willamette Water Supply Program.