(October 31, 2014) - UPDATE:  Crews will return to NW Germantown Road this weekend, in what is expected to be the last weekend of repair work needed to restore a retaining wall that supports a section of the road.  The closure this weekend will be the same as last weekend's. Please see below for details.

(October 22, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that repair of a retaining wall on NW Germantown Road requires the road’s closure between Lilac Road and Harbor Boulevard for the next two weekends, Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26 and November 1 and 2^nd from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.  

Local access will be provided.  Travelers wishing to reach NW Skyline Boulevard or Highway 30 should use alternate routes such as NW Newberry Road or NW Cornell Road.

 The Transportation Bureau is repairing the retaining wall during the weekends to minimize disruption to travelers.  Work began last weekend but the project scope requires additional work for two more weekends. The public is advised to expect delays, travel cautiously, observe the closure and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes.

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

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The annual evacuation exercise for the Portland Aerial Tram is set for Sunday morning, Oct. 26, 2014.

Trained professionals of the Portland Fire & Rescue Technical Rescue Team will lead the exercise. The exercise also includes representatives from the City of Portland, whose Bureau of Transportation owns the tram;  Oregon Health & Science University, which operates it along with Doppelmayr USA.

 Using ropes and harnesses, the team will lower the passengers 100 feet to the top floor of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute’s parking garage.  The training allows crews to practice an aerial rescue of tram passengers in the event the tram is stopped for an extended period of time with passengers on board.

 If members of the public contact you with questions about the training, please inform them that this is a scheduled training exercise and not a real emergency. The exercise has been conducted annually since the Portland Aerial Tram opened on Jan. 7, 2007.  There has never been a real emergency. 

The exercise is designed as a last resort safety precaution for the more than 5,000 daily commuters and tourists who ride the tram. The Portland Aerial Tram is one of only two used for urban transit in the U.S.

 WHEN:                       9 a.m. Sunday, Oct.26, 2014 - The exercise should be completed by noon.

 WHERE:                    The training will take place above the OHSU Casey Eye Institute parking garage. At that location a small number of exercise participants will be evacuated from the tram and lowered via ropes and harnesses down to the top of the parking structure. Local news crews are encouraged to cover the training, but we ask that you do so from the ground and refrain from entering the Casey Eye Institute parking lot so as not to interfere with the exercise.

 SPECTATORS:          The Portland Aerial Tram is closed on Sundays during the fall and winter. As a result, the training exercise will not interfere with regular operations. For those interested in observing, please do so from nearby locations and refrain from entering the Casey Eye Institute parking lot. 

ABOUT THE PORTLAND AERIAL TRAM

The Portland Aerial Tram is owned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation and operated by OHSU.  It opened to the public on Jan. 27, 2007. The cabins, named Walt and Jean, travel 3,300 linear feet between the South Waterfront terminal adjacent to the OHSU Center for Health & Healing, and the upper terminal at the Kohler Pavilion on OHSU's main campus. Traveling at 22 miles per hour, the tram cabins rise 500 feet for the three-minute trip over I-5, the Lair Hill neighborhood and the Southwest Terwilliger Parkway. Visit http://gobytram.com . Find the tram on Twitter @PortlandTram  and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/portlandaerialtram. 

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This Friday, October 24 at 10 a.m., Portland City Commissioners Nick Fish and Steve Novick will help celebrate the completion of the Division Streetscape Project’s major improvements with local neighbors and business owners at SE 31st and Division.

Who:               City Commissioners Steve Novick and Nick Fish 

When:             Friday, October 24, 10 a.m.

Where:            SE 31st Avenue and Division Street

What:              Kick off of OpenFest!, a neighborhood and business community celebration of the successful completion of the Division Streetscape Project’s major infrastructure and safety improvements.

 Division Street neighbors and businesses are marking the end of the Division Streetscape Project with OpenFest!, a day-long celebration of the Division Street re-opening. The celebration will include special offers from businesses and live music, and will continue until 9 p.m.

 The $6.4-million Division Streetscape Project began in May 2013 and has successfully replaced 4,900 feet of sewer pipes and repaved and reconstructed about two miles of SE Division Street from SE 11th to SE Cesar Chavez Boulevard. 

 “When we invest in green streets, we save our ratepayers money,” said City Commissioner Nick Fish. “By replacing pipes and planting trees, Portland manages its stormwater in a cost-effective manner while increasing the livability of our neighborhoods.”

 “This has been a community led project from the beginning and we appreciate everyone’s patience throughout construction,” said Commissioner Novick. “Thanks to coordination between PBOT, BES and community partners, Division is a bustling destination main street that is safer, more accessible and fully open for business.” 

The streetscape project was conceived in 2001, when neighborhood and business owners formed the Division Vision group to explore ways to make Division a street that better serves both residents and businesses. That effort led to the 2005 Division Green Street/Main Street Plan.

 Project Highlights Include: 

• Replacing 4,900 feet of sewer pipes and 32 sewer access structures that were in poor condition; 
• Adding 50 new curb extensions, 140  ADA-accessible corner ramps, new crosswalks and streetlights, and improving signalization to increase safety, access and visibility for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists; 
• Planting 150 street trees and constructing 68 green street planters to manage stormwater runoff; and
• Repaving and reconstructing 2 miles of SE Division  from SE 11th Avenue to SE Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

 Environmental Services and the Portland Bureau of Transportation worked together to improve the Division Street transportation corridor, repair and replace older sewers, add green infrastructure to manage stormwater and make sewers work more efficiently, and improve watershed health. More information about the Division Streetscape Project is available at www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/Streetscape and the Division/Clinton Business Association has posted OpenFest! information at divisionclinton.com/OpenFest.

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Media contacts:

Linc Mann, Environmental Services, 503-823-5328, linc.mann@portlandoregon.gov

Diane Dulken, Bureau of Transportation, 503-823-5552, diane.dulken@portlandoregon.gov

(October 21, 2014) –   It’s time to bring out the rakes.  With heavy rain and gusty winds predicted for late tonight and early Wednesday, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation is asking Portlanders to keep streets and storm drains clear of fallen leaves.

Portland’s urban forest brings great beauty and benefits – from clean air and water to increased property values and free shade. But with trees come leaves – and when they fall in an urban environment, it's necessary to clean them up.