July 7, 2026
The intersection of N Main Street and E Illinois Street will reopen to vehicle traffic effective immediately, following a vote by the Newberg City Council to end the trial closure that has been in place since September 2025.
City of Newberg Public Works staff will remove the traffic bollards and reopen the intersection to all vehicle traffic. Reader boards and dead-end signage installed during the closure will also come down, and navigation apps such as Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps will be updated to reflect the change. Changes to these third-party maps may take some time to appear.
This intersection has long been a safety concern, with numerous community complaints about traffic flow. A key challenge has been the connection between Highway 240, Main Street, and E Illinois Street. The highway, maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), creates a near-blind corner when merging onto Main Street, which has lead to multiple near-miss incidents over the years. Rather than commit nearly a quarter million dollars to a full traffic engineering study, the City opted to test a trial closure as a lower-cost, immediate way to see whether removing vehicle access at this intersection would meaningfully improve safety and traffic flow.
After reviewing feedback from the trial period, the Council determined that the closure has not led to a significant improvement in the overall traffic situation at this location. As a result, the Council voted to end the trial and reopen the intersection to vehicle traffic. Council has also directed the City’s Traffic Safety Commission to explore other traffic calming measures for this intersection. Residents interested in participating in the conversation may submit public comment or attend the next Traffic Safety Commission meeting on July 13, 2026 at 6PM, located at the Newberg Public Safety Building. Location details, agenda, and virtual attendance options are available online at www.newbergoregon.gov.
The City thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during the trial period and welcomes continued feedback as the Traffic Safety Commission looks at other ways to improve safety at this unique intersection.
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