Benjamin Road Access to Reopen Briefly, Close Permanently in July

NEWBERG, Ore. — Benjamin Road, which connects OR 99W and Northeast Springbrook Road, has been closed for construction since May 5. The current phase of the project is expected to be completed by May 23.

While the street will reopen temporarily at that time, access from the highway will close permanently at the end of July once detour construction is complete.

The current project involves the installation of stormwater lines for the adjacent Crestview Greens housing development.

Crestview Greens, under development by Westwood Homes LLC, sits on the easternmost edge of the larger Crestview development, across the highway from Providence Newberg Medical Center. The development includes 110 housing units—96 attached townhomes, 14 detached homes, and 24 multifamily units.

The roadwork has closed access to Benjamin Road and shut down the rightmost southbound lane of OR 99W through May 23. During this time, drivers accessing Benjamin Road must detour via Springbrook Road, turning north past The Allison Inn & Spa and then south onto Benjamin Road past a “Road Closed to Thru Traffic, Local Access Only” sign.

If the project stays on schedule, the Benjamin Road access from OR 99W will reopen briefly after May 23, said Mike Grimes, a City of Newberg Engineering Tech III.

During that time, developers will extend East Jory Street through the Crestview Crossing development to connect with Benjamin Road. Once that connection is completed, highway access to Benjamin Road will be permanently removed, and drivers will need to use Jory or Springbrook roads instead.

“It’s not straightforward, but generally speaking, there was a lot of back and forth early on whether we should try to keep Benjamin open or not,” said Greg Haffner, Yamhill County Public Works Engineering Manager. “It became a problem with the actual design, the spacing of the intersection, and the spacing with their street. Ultimately, we learned it would be safer to send traffic through the intersection [of E Crestview Drive and OR 99W].”

In the Crestview Greens project proposal documents from January 2022, engineering consultant firm Kittelson & Associates said the closure of Benjamin Road was a preexisting ODOT initiative due to safety concerns. With increased traffic from the forthcoming housing units, the access removal became more important. 

Haffner said the physical concrete to Benjamin Road will be completely removed to avoid confusion. But, if there are delays to Jory Road’s completion, they’ll keep Benjamin Road open until the access is completed. 

“We appreciate everyone’s patience in the meantime,” Haffner said. “We think this will be a much safer road when it’s all said and done.”

Impact on Wolves & People

While Benjamin Road is primarily residential, one local business is located just 900 feet from the highway entrance: Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery.

“Unfortunately, we had really slow days last weekend, but we’ve seen some improvement,” said brewery owner Christian DeBenedetti. “We’re working hard to get the word out.”

DeBenedetti said he first learned of the closure in April 2022 through a public land-use notice for the Crestview Greens development. In response, he consulted with a land-use lawyer and circulated a petition asking for an extended public comment period and alternatives to a full road closure.

The petition gathered 2,969 signatures, advocating for extended planning and suggesting changes like making the road one-way. These alternatives were not included in the final development plan.

During project scoping, Yamhill County, which manages Benjamin Road, requested that the engineers assess the feasibility of providing alternative access points or turning the road into a one-way street pointing toward the highway. 

The alternatives would have created additional environmental impacts and constructability issues relative to the full closure, the report stated, which prompted the continuation of the closure.

“It’s a dark and narrow road that’s seen a significant number of accidents,” said Haffener. “Yamhill County supports sending traffic through more well-lit and safer intersections.”

Despite the challenges raised by the road’s closure, DeBenedetti acknowledged that the intersection had safety concerns. The straight, open stretch of road sometimes attracted reckless drivers, and commuters found it difficult to safely enter or exit Benjamin Road from the highway.

“No one really enjoyed the Benjamin Road [and] 99W interchange as it was,” he said. “There were some accidents there, including one in which a team member was T-boned by a car—so horrible and scary.”

He said he’s exploring alternative access plans outside of the Jory or Springbrook access points, including building a gravel road connecting to Springbrook Farm Road north of Benjamin Road. 

“We don’t feel we should have to be building our own new roads because a corporate developer closed ours and brushed aside concerns from thousands of locals and neighbors and pro-business supporters,” he said.

Construction on the Benjamin Road intersection is projected to be completed by the end of July barring any setbacks to construction. After that, access will be limited to East Jory Street or the Springbrook Road detour. Construction updates are available on the City of Newberg website.

Disclosure: Newsberg Founding Editor Branden Andersen is a former employee of Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery and has a personal friendship with owner Christian DeBenedetti.