(June 2, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require ramp closures on NE 33^rd Avenue at NE Columbia Boulevard tomorrow, June 3, 2014.  All three ramps will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for one day only.

Vehicle and bicycle detours will be in effect. This closure will allow crews to pave .65 lane miles.

Vehicle traffic will be detoured to NE 21^st Avenue from NE Columbia Boulevard.

Bicycle traffic going northbound will be detoured west on N Dekum Street to 15^th Avenue and then will be asked to follow detour signs to cross NE Lombard Street and NE Columbia Boulevard. The southbound detour will follow the same route in reverse.

To avoid busy streets, the bicycle detour is fairly lengthy. Alternate routes are advised.

The public is advised to expect delays while repairs are being made. We ask the public to travel cautiously, observe all directions, and use alternate routes if possible.

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Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified the street that will receive a pedestrian flashing beacon. It is SE Woodward Street not Woodstock Boulevard

(June 5, 2014) – Construction is underway on the 50s Bikeway Project, a 4.3 mile safety corridor along 52^nd and 53^rd avenues that improves connections to eight neighborhoods, including 12 schools and seven parks, on Portland’s east side.  

When complete this summer, the route will fill in a major missing link within the City’s bicycle network and better connect eight neighborhoods from Woodstock, through Mt. Tabor to Rose City Park.

The route also improves safety and active transportation options for school children. The route begins at Woodstock Elementary School in the south and ends at Rose City Park Elementary School in the north.

During construction in June and July, the public can expect intermittent lane closures on 52^nd and 53^rd avenues. Delays are expected to be minimal.  

As part of the project, six major street crossings along the route will be upgraded to improve safety for people walking and bicycling.  Crossing improvement techniques will vary by location but will include a combination of curb extensions and medians in addition to a pedestrian flashing beacon at SE Woodward Street and a hybrid beacon at E Burnside Street.

To further improve neighborhood livability and address residents’ concerns at two key intersections, cut-through traffic will be diverted at SE 52^nd Avenue and Division Street and NE 53^rd Avenue and Burnside Street.

The northern portion of the route will take the shape of a neighborhood greenway on 52^nd and 53^rd avenues, with signage and bicycle symbols called sharrows painted on residential streets from NE Sacramento Street to SE Division Street.    

On the southern portion, from SE Division Street to SE Woodstock Boulevard, the City will install six-foot-wide painted bicycle lanes on either side of 52^nd Avenue.  To provide the necessary space, parking will be removed from the east side of the street.

The $1.5 million project is funded through a federal grant.  After a year-long planning and public involvement process, the City Council unanimously adopted the '50s Bikeway Project in September 2011. In addition to public presentations at open houses, the project involved the guidance of a 17 member citizens’ advisory committee made up of representatives from the neighborhood and business associations along the route. Find out more at the '50s Bikeway Project.

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(June 5, 2014) – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on SE 122^nd Avenue between SE Stark and SE Market streets from Monday, June 9 through Friday, August 15.

 Lane closures will be intermittent between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.   On-street parking will also be restricted during these times to facilitate the work.

The public is advised to expect delays, travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible to avoid congestion.

The lane closures are necessary to grind down the existing pavement, repave and restripe the travel lanes between SE Stark and SE Market streets. In addition, some portions of the travel lane will require full-depth reconstruction.

Local access to residences and businesses will be provided.

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 (June 6, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on N Lombard Street from N Reno Avenue to N Trumbull Avenue Monday, June 9, through Friday, June 13, 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. each day.

Traffic will be detoured to N Ivanhoe Street when lanes are closed for paving. Local access to residences and businesses will be provided.

This closure is to allow crews to pave 1.22 lane miles.

The public is advised to expect delays while repairs are being made. We ask the public to travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible.

This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.

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(June 11, 2014) - The Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that SW Salmon Street including both sidewalks, will be closed to all traffic from SW First Avenue to SW Naito Parkway from June 11 through August 7, 2014 all hours, all days.

The closure is necessary for the World Trade Center to make repairs to its underground garage located underneath SW Salmon Street.  World Trade Center crews will remove most of the street and pavement, including sidewalk bricks for its repairs, and will then rebuild and repave the street and rebuild the sidewalk. This work needs to occur during dry weather.

A detour for all travelers will be in effect during those times.  Eastbound vehicle and bicycle traffic will be diverted at SW 1st Avenue with the left lane directed northbound and the center and right lanes directed southbound.   Northbound traffic will be directed to SW Naito Parkway via SW Yamhill Street.  Southbound traffic will be directed to SW Naito Parkway via SW Columbia Street.  Pedestrian traffic will be detoured one block to SW Taylor Street or SW Main Street.

The public is advised to travel cautiously in the work zone and to observe detours. Travelers are advised to use alternate routes if possible.

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