Introducing Mike McCarthy

Mike McCarthy is Tualatin’s Principal Transportation Engineer. In that capacity, Mike serves as program director for the $20 million voter-approved transportation bond program – Tualatin Moving Forward. He has been in Tualatin for 3 ½ years, with earlier career stops in the City of Tigard and Marion County.  

Mike says the most rewarding part of his work on Tualatin Moving Forward has been the chance to address some longstanding safety issues: adding signals for pedestrian crossings, installing sidewalk segments where none existed, creating new paths for bicycles, and safety improvements to help prevent crashes. “We can all feel safer,” Mike observes. The program also includes projects to improve traffic flow and provide better access to schools and parks.  

For Mike, two of the program’s signature projects stand out as special successes. Completion of improvements at the Garden Corner Curves in 2021 fixed longstanding issues, opened a key new north-south walking and biking route, and ignited a community celebration. At the Martinazzi / Sagert intersection, new traffic signals, sidewalks, and bike lanes completed earlier this year have reduced traffic congestion and also enhanced safety.  

From his hometown of Stony Brook on Long Island, Mike traveled to Cornell University in upstate New York. His first job after college brought him to the coastal town of Newport, Oregon to work in the construction industry. Soon, Mike was hooked on Oregon. 

Mike McCarthy is married and has three sons: 9, 11, and 13 years who keep him busy coaching youth soccer and track and field. Together, the family spends free time outdoors: skiing, hiking, and biking.  

As the Tualatin Moving Forward transportation program is reaching its conclusion, 21 projects have been completed and another 13 are underway. “My only regret is we can’t do more” says Mike.