TRAFFIC ALERT: Hood & Portland to Coast Relays in St. Helens August 23-24

Group of runners from the waist down running in a race on a road

TRAFFIC ALERT: Hood and Portland to Coast Relays will be traveling through Columbia County starting at approximately 7 a.m. on Friday, August 23 and leaving at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 24.

The 2019 race events include 16,600 walkers and runners and an additional 3,600 volunteers. In the St. Helens area, you will see traffic impacts (vehicles, runners, and walkers) on the following roads:
 

  • Highway 30
  • Millard Road
  • Bachelor Flat Road
  • Saulser Road
  • Firlock Park Boulevard
  • Sykes Road
  • Pittsburg Road
  • Sunset Boulevard
  • Columbia Boulevard
  • Gable Road
  • West Kappler​
     

St. Helens officers are partnering with the Oregon State Police on August 23-24 to patrol these high-impact areas. Officers will be focusing on the “FATAL 5” during this race weekend, which includes DUII, distracted driving, speed, occupant safety, and lane safety.

Saturated police patrols will focus on keeping people safe with the large influx of vehicles on Columbia County’s highways that historically bring higher occurrences of distracted driving, general disregard for traffic laws, crashes, fatigued drivers, DUII drivers, and road rage incidents.

We welcome visitors to St. Helens for these events and ask that everyone obey traffic laws, be respectful of residents, and that both visitors and community members show a little extra patience this weekend. Stay safe. Have fun. We’ll see you on the race course.