(PORTLAND, Ore.) – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation on Monday will begin basic paving maintenance and safety improvements along NE Glisan Street between NE 60th Avenue and NE 82nd Avenue, a stretch that has been the focus of neighborhood concern after a string of crashes, including a January fatality.

The street improvements will include:

• Converting NE Glisan Street from 60th Avenue to 80th Avenue into a three-lane roadway. The street, now with four travel lanes, will be repaved and striped for a travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane.  
• Changing parking rules along NE Glisan Street to allow parking at all hours, instead of restricting parking to off-peak hours.
• Installation of an enhanced crossing improvement at NE Glisan Street and 78th Avenue, including a pedestrian refuge island and, in coming weeks, a pedestrian activated Rapid Flash Beacon.

The work will require lane closures from NE 67th Avenue to 80th Avenue from Monday, July 22  through Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lane closures will apply only during weekdays.

One lane in each direction will remain open at all times.  Local access to residences and businesses will be provided.  The traveling public is advised to observe all lane closures, instructions from flaggers and use alternate routes if possible.

The safety improvements are expected to be fully operational in September. The improvements were developed in concert with the Montavilla Neighborhood Association, Portland Police, local businesses, churches and schools.

Since 2003, 301 people have been injured and two have died in crashes on NE Glisan Street between NE 60th and 82nd avenues. On July 10th, 2007, a pedestrian was struck and killed while attempting to cross NE Glisan at 64th Avenue. Most recently, on Jan. 29, 2013 a pedestrian was struck and killed while attempting to cross NE Glisan at 78th Avenue. That last incident led the City and community to develop the safety project.

More information may be found at the NE Glisan Safety Project web page http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/62098

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If you live, work or travel near SE Division Street from SE 11^th Avenue to SE Cesar Chavez Boulevard you are aware that construction on the Division Streetscape Project is in full swing. The Division Streetscape Project is a joint effort of the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES).

Construction impacts will have an effect on all members of the traveling public and PBOT asks that those traveling through the corridor obey traffic control signs and flaggers and be patient in order to ensure that everyone travels together safely and gets to where they need to go. Pedestrians and bicyclists may need to share the same limited space during some closures and detours so slow down and be alert. Bicyclists should yield to pedestrians.  Routes and closures can change daily so allow plenty of time to travel to your destination, and plan ahead by checking for project updates on the project website or by calling the project update hotline: 503-823-1997.

The two bureaus teamed up to tackle two problems; 1) an outdated sewer system and 2) a deficient transportation corridor. BES is currently digging up streets to replace over 4,900 feet of sewer pipe in poor condition and will eventually be constructing 55 green street facilities designed to manage stormwater runoff, as well as planting lots of new street trees. The BES portion of the project is part of the Tabor to the River Project. When the sewer and ground work is done, PBOT will retime traffic signals, add new crosswalks, streetlights and curb extensions. 

By coordinating the work, the two bureaus hope to reduce the number and length of road closures and ensure that when the final street paving is done, the road surface will not be torn up again for sewer or utility work. In addition to coordinating with BES, PBOT has also been meeting with contractors from many private construction projects on the street to minimize impacts to pedestrians and other road users.

Project background and schedule

In 2001, neighborhood groups and the business community formed the Division Vision Group. They spent several years working to develop a vision for Division as a main street that could better serve the residential and business communities and the traveling public. Between 2003 and 2005, the City of Portland and community members used the findings of the Division Vision Group to develop the Division Green Street/Main Street Plan. This plan focuses on improving the livability of Division Street between SE 11^th and SE 60^th avenues over the next 20 years.

Continuing on this work, the city started designing the Division Streetscape Project in 2009, and with input from the public the city completed the design work in 2012. Sewer rehabilitation work by BES began in May and is expected to continue throughout the summer. Curb and sidewalk construction will follow, with final paving of SE Division Street to take place next summer. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2014.

Project Benefits

Although the construction phase can be painful, the resulting finished project will provide many benefits for all users of the SE Division Street Corridor.

Improved traffic signal timing will optimize traffic flow and travel time all road users. Curb extensions will decrease the crossing distance for pedestrians and increase their visibility to motorists when preparing to cross. In addition, the extensions provide a protected landing for transit riders getting off the bus. When completed, every corner along the corridor will have American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps. New striped crosswalks will make it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross many of the off-set intersections along the corridor.

The project will also install a significant amount of new bike parking along the corridor. New bike racks and bike corrals will be going in at strategic locations. Bike boxes will be installed at the 7 Corners intersection, enhancing the movement of the large numbers of bicyclists that use that intersection as a connection from Ladd’s Addition to the Clinton Neighborhood Greenway.

You can view block by block maps on the project website to get an idea of the type of improvements happening all along the corridor. These diagrams are very detailed and show where new sewer pipes, stormwater inlets, and manhole covers will be installed. They identify new green street facilities and vegetated strips. You can see where existing trees are now, where new trees will go, and even what trees might be removed. Finally, parking (bike and automobile), bus shelters and bus stops, new ADA ramps, new signal work, new concrete and street paving areas, and even public art are identified on these diagrams

To get project updates on the Division Streetscape Project, you can email Joe Annett at joe.annett@portlandoregon.gov, with “Division” in the subject line, or call the project update line at 503-823-1997.

You can learn more about how Portland manages stormwater and transportation on the “Stormwater Past, Present and Future” ride, part of the Portland By Cycle series of easy-paced guided bike rides: Wednesday, July 24^th, 6:00 pm, meeting at Universal Cycles – SE Ankeny St. at 22^nd Ave.  (Free, no registration needed, but helmets are required.)

(JULY 23, 2013) Leah Treat, the new director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, met with the news media on Tuesday, her second day on the job, to discuss transportation priorities and take questions. City Commissioner Steve Novick, who oversees the Transportation Bureau, introduced her to the media and also answered questions.

Commissioner Novick has made safety the bureau's top priority, Treat says.

"To me that starts with a pedestrian, because everyone is a pedestrian," she says.

See Treat VIDEO here

"We’ve got to just recognize our challenges and build on our strengths," Commissioner Novick says. 

See Novick VIDEO here

Hawthorne Bridge Bicycle Counter: Nearing one year anniversary and one-millionth bike trip of 2013

Get your “1 Million + Me” Photo at Friday’s Breakfast on the Bridge

(PORTLAND, Ore.) –   People bicycling over the Hawthorne Bridge are pedaling towards a symbolic milestone:  the millionth bicycle trip over the bridge in 2013.

The electronic Hawthorne Bicycle Bridge Counter, installed last August 8, is expected to count the one-millionth bridge-crossing trip of 2013 at or before its one year anniversary. 

To celebrate, the City of Portland will join community volunteers from Shift for a special Breakfast on the Bridge event on Friday, July 26.  Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. people traveling over the bridge can enjoy millionth-trip themed doughnuts and can take and share photos by the electronic bicycle counter next to a “One Million + Me” sign. 

Anyone who has crossed the bridge by bicycle, skateboard or other non-motorized method is encouraged to share their role in reaching the million-trip milestone on social media with the #MillionBikes hashtag.

“One million is a nice round number people can be proud of. That’s one million times people are improving their health, reducing their own and other people’s health insurance costs, saving money on gas and car repair, and decreasing traffic congestion, all while having fun commuting and getting around,” said Commissioner Steve Novick, who oversees the Bureau of Transportation. “Plus, it’s only the middle of the year with lots more pedal strokes ahead of us. Keep going Portlanders.”

This is actually the counter’s second million-trip milestone.  Installed with support from Cycle Oregon, which donated the counter, and Multnomah County, which manages the bridge, the counter has already logged more than 1.6 million trips overall as it approaches its first year of operation.  The upcoming million-trip milestone will mark the millionth trip of 2013.

A serious tool

As fun as Friday’s celebration is expected to be, the electronic bicycle counter has a serious purpose, giving transportation planners a useful tool to collect data, track bicycle use and plan transportation improvements and public investments for all modes of transportation.

Increasing the number of people who bicycle is a long-range goal of the city in order to reduce congestion and air pollution, address climate change, improve personal health and save Portlanders money by making a low-cost transportation option attractive and safe. A visual bike counter raises public awareness of these goals and highlights the city’s progress in reaching them.

In the same way that counting automobiles is the basis for transportation spending and policymaking, counting bicycles also informs the Transportation Bureau about its progress toward making bicycling a fundamental part of life in Portland while giving feedback about the usefulness of its investments in bicycle infrastructure and city streets.

Bicycle use over the five central city bridges has steadily risen with increased bicycle infrastructure.   Ridership citywide has grown 211% since 2000, according to the Transportation Bureau’s 2012 Portland Bicycle Count Report.  Ridership over the Hawthorne Bridge rose dramatically after the county widened the bike and pedestrian path in 1999.  

Now, thousands of travelers use the wide sidewalks of the bridge daily to get around town and commute to work.  The actual daily and weekly counts can be found at the city’s Hawthorne Bridge Bicycle Count page.

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July 25, 2013 - People bicycling over the Hawthorne Bridge are pedaling towards a symbolic milestone: the millionth bicycle trip over the bridge in 2013.

The electronic Hawthorne Bicycle Bridge Counter, installed last August 8, is expected to count the one-millionth bridge-crossing trip of 2013 at or before its one year anniversary.

*** July 30 Update:  Today, the bicycle counter registered the one-millionth trip of 2013. Keep pedaling Portlanders and thanks for the celebration ***

To celebrate, the City of Portland will join community volunteers from Shift for a special Breakfast on the Bridge event on Friday, July 26. Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. people traveling over the bridge can enjoy millionth-trip themed doughnuts and can take and share photos by the electronic bicycle counter next to a “One Million + Me” sign.

Anyone who has crossed the bridge by bicycle, skateboard or other non-motorized method is encouraged to share their role in reaching the million-trip milestone on social media with the #MillionBikes hashtag.

“One million is a nice round number people can be proud of. That’s one million ways people are improving their health, lowering costs and decreasing traffic congestion, all while having fun commuting and getting around,” said Commissioner Steve Novick, who oversees the Bureau of Transportation. “Plus, it’s only the middle of the year with lots more pedal strokes ahead of us. Keep going Portlanders.”

This is actually the counter’s second million-trip milestone. Installed with support from Cycle Oregon, which donated the counter, and Multnomah County, which manages the bridge, the counter has already logged more than 1.6 million trips overall as it approaches its first year of operation. The upcoming million-trip milestone will mark the millionth trip of 2013.

A serious tool

As fun as Friday’s celebration is expected to be, the electronic bicycle counter has a serious purpose, giving transportation planners a useful tool to collect data, track bicycle use and plan transportation improvements and public investments for all modes of transportation.

Increasing the number of people who bicycle is a long-range goal of the city in order to reduce congestion and air pollution, address climate change, improve personal health and save Portlanders money by making a low-cost transportation option attractive and safe. A visual bike counter raises public awareness of these goals and highlights the city’s progress in reaching them.

In the same way that counting automobiles is the basis for transportation spending and policymaking, counting bicycles also informs the Transportation Bureau about its progress toward making bicycling a fundamental part of life in Portland while giving feedback about the usefulness of its investments in bicycle infrastructure and city streets.

Bicycle use over the five central city bridges has steadily risen with increased bicycle infrastructure. Ridership citywide has grown 211% since 2000, according to the Transportation Bureau’s 2012 Portland Bicycle Count Report. Ridership over the Hawthorne Bridge rose dramatically after the county widened the bike and pedestrian path in 1999.

Now, thousands of travelers use the wide sidewalks of the bridge daily to get around town and commute to work. The actual daily and weekly counts can be found at the city’s Hawthorne Bridge Bicycle Count page.

See the photo album from the event: Click here.

Photos courtesy of BikePortland