(January 2, 2014) – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on SE Harrison Street between SE Hemlock Avenue in Ladd’s Addition and SE 26^th Avenue from Monday, January 6 through Friday, January 10, 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. each day. 

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.

The lane closures are necessary to allow crews to grind down the existing pavement in preparation for repaving .99 lane miles of the street.  If weather permits, crews will complete paving during the week. In case of wet weather, crews will return to the site for paving at a later date.

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Portland’s Neighborhood Greenways were selected as a best practice for a community speed reduction case study by Health Resources in Action (HRiA). HRiA helps people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy and research.  

HRiA, in partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and with support from the National Network of Public Health Institutes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, created a collection of best practices resources to help other communities implement similar community-wide speed reduction strategies. A case study was developed to illustrate the success of Portland’s Neighborhood Greenway initiative and show how other jursidictions can achieve traffic safety goals through similar efforts.

According to HRiA, PBOT’s efforts illustrate that speed reduction can be successfully integrated into a multi-faceted program that engages residents and achieves a safer and more inviting road environment for people walking and biking.

For more information:

Overall Speed Reduction Resource: http://hria.org/resources/reports/community-speed-reduction/2013-resources-speed-reduction.html

Neighborhood Greenway case study: http://hria.org/uploads/catalogerfiles/2013-speed-reduction-resources/PortlandCaseStudy_120313.pdf

photo credit: Greg Raisman/flickr.com

As part of the Winter Cruise campaign to encourage bike riding in any season, PBOT's Active Transportation Division is offering two workshops.

Don’t let your fun and fitness deteriorate in 2014, just because of a few raindrops! Join us for our All-Season Cycling brown bag on January 9th as some experienced riders share strategies for staying dry, warm and safe throughout thePortland winter.

If you’re already in the fine habit of riding year ‘round, but want to give your trusty mule some extra care through the winter, join us for Bike Maintenance Basics on January 13^th. Local professional cycling trainer, Tori Bortman of Gracie’s Wrench will demonstrate bike maintenance tips and techniques to keep your bike running smooth and safe all year.

Thursday, January 9

All-Season Cycling

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm

Portland Building

1120 SW 5^th Ave

2^nd Floor, Room B

Monday, January 13

Bike Maintenance Basics

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm

Portland Building

1120 SW 5^th Ave

2^nd Floor, Room B

Questions? Jeff Smith at jeff.smith@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-7083.

(January 8, 2014)  – The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that street improvements will require lane closures on the two-block stretch of SE Water Avenue between SE Alder and SE Stark streets. The work takes place from Friday, January 10 through Wednesday, January 15, 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. each weekday. 

One traffic lane will remain open at all times. Local access to residences and businesses will be provided.

The lane closures are necessary to allow crews to grind down the existing pavement in preparation for repaving .33 lane miles of the street.  If weather permits, crews will complete paving during the week. In case of wet weather, crews will return to the site for paving at a later date.

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

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(January 9, 2014) –  The Portland Aerial Tram reached another significant milestone this week, surpassing 10 million riders since opening in 2007. 

Angie Egan, accompanied by her three children, became the 10 millionth person to ride the tram at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2014.  To celebrate the historic ride, Angie received an invitation to attend an exclusive private dinner party aboard the Portland Aerial Tram for her and up to three additional adults.  Angie and her guests will enjoy dinner as they slowly glide above the city enjoying incredible views of the City lights.  

Since the Portland Aerial Tram’s opened in 2007, it has become a popular tourist attraction as well as a vital connection between South Waterfront and Oregon Health & Science University’s hillside campus.

In addition to the 10 millionth ridership mark,  the Portland Aerial Tram also has:

• Traveled the equivalent of more than 234,000 miles  – or 98% of the distance between earth and the moon.
• Each year eliminates the need for two million vehicle miles, saving 93,000 gallons of gas and reducing greenhouse gases by more than 1,000 tons annually.
• Made 345,549 trips. The tram has operated a total of 23,988 hours.

About the Portland Aerial Tram

The Portland Aerial Tram is owned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation and operated by Oregon Health & Science University.    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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