(August 19, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on SE 52^nd Avenue between SE Powell Boulevard and SE Division Street on Wednesday, August 20 and Thursday, August 21, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The lane closures are necessary to allow crews to pave 1.68 lane miles. When paving is complete, SE 52^nd Avenue will be restriped to add a six-foot bicycle lane on either side of the street. More information on the ‘50s Bikeway Project may be found here: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/53345

While crews are working, one traffic lane will remain open at all times. Local access to residences and businesses will be provided.

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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See the SE Portland map

(August 19, 2014) – The City of Portland Sunday Parkways presented by Kaiser Permanente will host the fourth Sunday Parkways of the season August 24 in Southeast Portland. Southeast Portlanders and thousands of others are expected to turn out to bicycle, walk, stroll, roll and dance along the seven miles of traffic-free streets.

The Southeast Portland route connects Colonel Summers Park, Laurelhurst Park, Ivon Park and Universal Cycles Marketplace. Music, vendors and activities are located in the parks and marketplaces and along the route. The event is free and takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Universal Cycles, located at SE 22^nd Avenue and Ankeny Street along the route, is hosting a free block party organized by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Portland Sunday Parkways invites everyone to stop by and enjoy family-friendly games, food and drink. Proceeds from beverage sales will go towards supporting Sunday Parkways.

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, and Portland General Electric.

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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(Aug. 18, 2014) -- Commissioner Steve Novick and Transportation Director Leah Treat invite the news media to join them on Tuesday, Aug. 19 on a van tour of Portland’s maintenance and safety needs as part of the Our Streets PDX transportation funding conversation. The tour will showcase busy streets that lack sidewalks and a commercial corridors in need of preventive maintenance. On Tuesday, they will also unveil The Portland Transportation Needs Guidebook, an online compilation of the maintenance and safety needs identified by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and prioritized by community input over the years.

The tour will make three stops: in East Portland, at SE Hawthorne and at SW Capitol Highway. At each location, community advocates have been invited to describe basic, unmet transportation safety and maintenance that needs that have a direct impact on neighborhood livability.

News media are invited to join the tour or meet the group along the way.

FOR NEWS MEDIA TO RESERVE A PLACE IN A VAN: Contact Bryan Hockaday, Commissioner Novick’s Office, 503-823-1059. Space is limited and available on a first come basis.

WHO: Commissioner Novick, Director Treat, community leaders from across the city

WHAT: Our Streets PDX Neighborhood Transportation Needs Tour

WHEN: Departing Portland City Hall, SW Fifth Ave. entrance at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19.

• 10 a.m. Tour begins at SE 130th Ave. and Salmon Street, at a crosswalk near David Douglas High School ball fields
• 10:45 a.m. Tour begins at SE Hawthorne Blvd. and 36th Ave., north side of the intersection.
• 11:45 a.m. Tour begins at SW Capitol Highway and Garden Home, at the bus stop on the east side of Capitol Highway.
• Expected return to City Hall at 1 p.m.

VISUALS:

• Neighborhood and community advocates standing by busy streets, showing where sidewalks end near a school, describing how a lack of sidewalks and safe crossings affects the day-to-day lives of everyday people.
• The city engineer will stand at busy Hawthorne Boulevard, where cracked asphalt indicates a need for repaving.
• A scene on SW Capitol Highway, where high-speed traffic, and a lack of sidewalks and bike lanes cut off access to the Multnomah Village shopping district.
• Staff will show how the safety and maintenance issues at each location are identified in maps and other materials found in The Portland Transportation Needs Guidebook, an online compilation of resources that will be launched on Tuesday and available at www.OurStreetsPDX.com/Needs.

WHY: For more than a year, Mayor Hales and Commissioner Novick have been calling for more investment in the transportation system to address longstanding maintenance and safety needs as well as counteract diminishing resources from the gas tax. Since January, the Mayor and Commissioner have asked the public for input on transportation priorities and options for raising money. They expect to have a proposal for City Council to consider in November.

For more information about the transportation funding conversation, see www.OurStreetsPDX.com

For more information about the Our Streets PDX Neighborhood Transportation Needs Tour, see Commissioner Novick’s blog http://www.portlandoregon.gov/novick/article/500169

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(August 8, 2014) – The Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that Portland Streetcar construction work will require a complete closure of SW Montgomery Street from SW Fourth to Fifth avenues from Monday, August 11 through September 28, 2014.

In addition, periodic lane closures will be required on SW Fourth Avenue between SW Harrison and Mill streets.

Construction will be complete before classes resume at nearby Portland State University on September 29.

The closures will allow construction of a second streetcar track that will extend service over the Tilikum Crossing Transit Bridge beginning in September 2015. 

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

For more information, visit www.portlandstreetcar.org/node/12.

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Contacts:

Julie Gustafson

Community Relations Program Manager

Portland Streetcar, Inc.

503-242-0084

julie.gustafson@portlandstreetcar.org

Diane Dulken

Media Relations

Portland Bureau of Transportation

503-823-5552

diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov

(August 7, 2014) -  Major changes to improve safety for all travelers are coming this fall to North Williams Avenue, a corridor that serves a growing neighborhood as well as being a popular commuting route for vehicles, bicycles and transit between downtown and North Portland. 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation will preview the N Williams Traffic Safety and Operation Project’s new street design and construction plans at an open house August 12^th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, 2926 N Williams Ave.  

The project was developed in 2012 after a 16-month public involvement process that addressed community concerns over development and traffic safety.   A$1.5 million grant received in 2013 from the Oregon Department of Transportation is funding the improvements, which will extend from NE Broadway to N Killingsworth Street.

The project creates a new street design that eliminates one travel lane and provides a new, buffered bicycle lane on the left side of the street to reduce conflicts with buses; improves crosswalks for pedestrian safety, reduces the speed limit and also creates a new traffic signal at the busy N Cook Street intersection.

Construction is anticipated to begin in early September and be completed within three months.  Construction mainly consists of restriping the street and crosswalks, installing curb extensions, and the traffic signal.   More details are available at northwilliamssafety.org, and this map.

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