(September 24, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require the closure of NE Halsey Street from NE 60^th Avenue to NE 70^th Avenue on Saturday, September 27, 7 a.m. through 5 p.m.

This closure will allow crews to pave 1.49 lane miles.  Traffic will be detoured onto NE Glisan Street.

Access will be maintained for businesses and residents. 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.

Parking restriction barricades will be in place one or two workdays before the start of work.  This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.

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(September 23, 2014) – The City of Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente will host the final Sunday Parkways of the season September 28 in Southwest Portland. Mayor Charlie Hales will join with Southwest Portlanders and thousands of others to bicycle, walk, stroll, roll and dance along the six-mile round-trip route of traffic-free streets.

“Sunday Parkways are a terrific opportunity to get to know a specific section of Portland. You can study maps, you can drive around, but nothing beats the feeling of pedaling through this great city.  Come join us for the last event of the season,” said Mayor Charlie Hales.

Hilly Southwest Portland incorporates Gabriel Park and the two vibrant business districts: Hillsdale Shopping Center and Multnomah Village. Music, vendors and activities are located in the park and marketplaces and along the route. The event is free and takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Southwest event also offers the only walkers-only route that includes 4.5 miles of streets, paths, stairs and pedestrian bridges. This walking route shows off some of the signed and marked SW Trails that weave through neighborhoods and provide important connections and shortcuts to many Southwest destinations. 

Last year, severe weather led to the cancellation of the Southwest Portland event, the only Sunday Parkways to be cancelled in the series’ seven-year history. This Sunday’s forecast is for mild conditions and offers a great chance to get out and enjoy the fun, healthy physical activity.

Sunday Parkways is a series of free community events opening the city's largest public space – its streets – for people to walk, bike, roll and discover active transportation. The five events of the season are held once a month from May to September and take place in a different neighborhood each time. 

Sunday Parkways is organized by the Portland Bureau of Transportation with its many community partners, including presenting sponsor Kaiser Permanente and other community partners: Portland Parks & Recreation, Universal Cycles, Renaissance Homes, Bike Gallery, Whole Foods Market, NW Natural, Clif Kid, Metro, Franz Bakery, Everett Custom Homes, AARP of Oregon, ODOT, Car2Go, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and Food Front Cooperative Grocery.

Motorized vehicles are allowed to pass through the route at designated crossings and allowed on the route for resident and emergency access.

For more information about Sunday Parkways, including volunteer information, visit www.PortlandSundayParkways.org or call 503-823-7599.

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(Sept. 18, 2014) -- The Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that Portland Streetcar construction work will close SW 4^th Avenue at Harrison to all motorized traffic beginning at 9:00 AM on Friday, Sept. 19.  SW 4^th Avenue will remain closed through the weekend and will reopen by 6:00 AM on Monday, Sept. 22.    

The east sidewalk on SW 4^th Avenue will remain open and access will be maintained to businesses and residences in the area.

This closure is necessary to complete the connections to the new second track on SW 4thAvenue at SW Harrison Street near Portland State University to allow for the completed Loop operations beginning Sept. 12, 2015 with the opening of the new Tilikum Crossing Transit Bridge. The completed loop service will bring more frequent service -- with streetcars coming about every 7 minutes -- between South Waterfront and the Pearl District.

The traveling public is asked to follow signs and use caution in work zones.

Please visit www.PortlandStreetcar.org/node/12 to learn more.

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(Sept. 18, 2014) -- Two companies are competing for a chance to provide Portland with new parking meters, and starting this week residents can test the new meters and help the Portland Bureau of Transportation decide which contractor to select.

Four test pay stations, two from each of the vendors that made PBOT’s short list, are available for the public to test. Meters made by Parkeon and Cale America are located on SW Salmon Street, between SW Third and Fourth avenues, just north of Lownsdale Square and on SW Third Avenue, between SW Taylor and SW Salmon streets.

The meters will be available until Oct. 14. Public comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. that day.

Let PBOT know what you think of the two pay station options by completing an online survey at bit.ly/PBOTmeters or filling out a postcard available at the meter. How easy was it to use the pay station? Was your transaction completed as fast as you expected?

Equipment from both manufacturers equipment will be familiar to city users as they have provided meters to the City in the past.  Cale America has more than 1,300 existing pay stations and Parkeon provided the ticket vending machines for the Portland Streetcar.

After receiving public input, PBOT’s selection committee will identify which vendor will supply about 300 parking meters in the new Northwest Portland parking meter district, expected to be installed in early 2015. The established price agreement will also be used for future purchases.

Both pay station options can accept payments by credit card and support the adoption of payment by mobile phone in the future.

Visitors to the test block are reminded that normal parking fees, time limits and periods of enforcement are in effect during the test period. If you are unable to purchase a ticket from one of the test meters, be sure to purchase a ticket from an existing pay station to avoid receiving a citation.

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As street design takes shape, “A Safer Place for Everyone” outreach campaign gets underway featuring safety messages from residents

(September 16, 2014) – Construction begins later this week on a new street design for North Williams Avenue, a corridor that serves a growing neighborhood as well as being a popular commute route between downtown and North Portland.

The new street design will extend from NE Broadway to Killingsworth Street and will require up to three months to complete.  Safety improvements will benefit all travelers, especially pedestrians, and changes will affect the look of the street and traffic flow for all travelers.

Early in the project, the left lane of North Williams Avenue will close to all traffic. It will reopen in mid-October as a left side bike lane.  No detours will be in effect during construction but alternate routes are available. 

The alternate route for people traveling by bicycle is NE Rodney Street, a neighborhood street that has been upgraded with speed bumps to discourage cut through motor vehicle traffic.  The alternate routes for drivers are NE Martin Luther King Boulevard or N Interstate Avenue.

The new street design will include these major improvements:

• A new traffic signal will be installed at the busy N Cook Street crossing.
• New striped crosswalks and curb extensions at five crossings will improve pedestrian visibility, making it safer and easier to cross.
• Bus and bike travel are being separated to reduce conflicts and improve safety.  Buses will continue to stop on the right side of the street while the bike lane will be expanded to a width of 12 feet and transferred to the left side.
• The speed limit is being lowered to 25 mph along most of the corridor; and 20 mph where foot traffic is highest, between NE Fremont and Skidmore streets.
• Green transition zones in the left side bike lane indicate where motor vehicles cross the lane to turn left.

The left side bicycle lane is expected to open in mid-October, once the Cook Street traffic signal is operational.  The additional construction, such as crosswalk restriping, is expected to entail minimal traffic disruption.

The project was developed in 2012 after a 16-month public involvement process to identify how to make N Williams Avenue a safer place for all travelers and to address longstanding community concerns over pedestrian safety in particular.

“A Safer Place for Everyone”

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is launching “A Safer Place for Everyone” outreach campaign to inform people of the new street design and encourage all travelers to share the road.  The campaign is an outgrowth of the public involvement process where people suggested increased outreach around safety.

The “A Safer Place for Everyone” campaign features residents sending their safety messages to fellow residents via a series of banners and A-boards. The banners, soon to be posted to light fixtures along the corridor, will be displayed through the winter.  

The transportation bureau also mailed an “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure to area residents and distributed to local businesses and other gathering places.  The public is encouraged to share photos and their own messages on social media with the tag #northwilliams.  

More information is available at www.northwilliamssafety.org  including a map and construction highlights. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” banner campaign. View the “A Safer Place for Everyone” brochure.

Contact:

Diane Dulken Portland Bureau of Transportation

503-823-5552 diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov