June 24, 2013

Starting this Friday at 5 a.m. and continuing for up to 21 days, sewer construction will close SE Cesar Chavez Boulevard to through traffic between Hawthorne Boulevard and Division Street. The project will completely close the intersection at SE Harrison to all traffic. The SE Lincoln Street neighborhood greenway will remain open across SE Cesar Chavez during construction.

Around the clock, continuous construction will allow the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) to complete the work and re-open SE Cesar Chavez as quickly as possible. The work will replace sewers the city constructed about 120 years ago and is part of a larger program to replace aging sewers that are in poor condition. More project information is available at www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/CesarChavezBlvd.

“Portland has more than 2,500 miles of sewer pipes and more than one third of them are over 80 years old,” said City Commissioner Nick Fish. “While we will do everything possible to minimize the travel disruption, this project is an important part of a larger effort to protect Portlanders’ health and our environment.”

Two TriMet bus lines – 66-Marquam Hill/Hollywood and 75-Cesar Chavez/Lombard– will be detoured around the work zone. Buses will serve temporary stops on SE Powell Boulevard, SE 50th Avenue and SE Hawthorne Boulevard during construction. Riders should expect delays and longer travel times. http://trimet.org/alerts/line66-75reroute.htm

Weekend closure of I-5 on-ramp from SW 5th Avenue for Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project

Beginning at 5 a.m. Friday, June 28 through Monday, July 1 at 5 a.m., crews will install light rail tracks across the eastern half of SW 5th Avenue at Lincoln in preparation to connect the Portland-Milwaukie light rail extension to the Green/Yellow line terminus at SW 5th and Jackson. Access to the I-5 on-ramp from SW 5th Avenue will be closed for the weekend. The work takes place 24/7 to shorten the duration of the I-5 on-ramp closure.

• I-5 access from SW Broadway on-ramp is the nearest option.
• Bus service along SW 5th may experience delays due to construction.
• I-5 on-ramp from SW 5th Avenue will reopen by 5 a.m. on Monday, July 1.

About the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project

The 7.3-mile project is the region’s sixth MAX construction project and extends from the terminus of the MAX Green and Yellow lines at Portland State University in Downtown Portland to South Waterfront, SE Portland, Milwaukie and North Clackamas County:

• 7.3 miles
• 10 new stations
• The first multi-modal bridge of its kind to carry light rail, buses, bikes, pedestrians and a future Portland Streetcar extension over the Willamette River but no private vehicles.
• TriMet’s share of the $1.49 billion project is less than 5 percent.
• Opens in September 2015
• Expands the regional MAX system to 60 miles and 97 stations

Project partners

The Federal Transit Administration, State of Oregon, Clackamas County, Metro, City of Milwaukie, Multnomah County, City of Oregon City, Oregon Department of Transportation, City of Portland, Portland Development Commission and TriMet.

Contacts

BES/Linc Mann - 503-823-5328

TriMet/Mary Fetsch - 503-962-6403