What's Happening Now?

Read the NE 102nd Avenue Safety Project Evaluation Report!

The report goes through measures defined in the Pilot Evaluation Guide to determines changes to safety and traffic conditions on NE 102nd Avenue and in nearby neighborhoods.

The data collected shows an overall improvement in safety measures. Vehicle speeds on NE 102nd Avenue are lower, and the street better meets guidelines for pedestrians and people biking. The data does not show significant changes to travel times for TriMet buses or other vehicles, nor does it show significant changes to volumes or speeds on nearby neighborhood streets. The survey responses included over a thousand comments and suggestions. The public input section offers responses and follow-ups for the most common comments.

The report also outlines next steps, including Phase 2 construction coming in summer 2020 and other efforts that PBOT is pursuing to make improvements on NE 102nd Avenue.

Check out the NE 102nd Evaluation Report Appendix to see the data used for the report.

If you have any other comments or questions, please contact the project manager.

Christopher Sun
503-823-5391
Christopher.Sun@portlandoregon.gov

 

NE 102nd Ave Safety Project

The NE 102nd Ave Safety Project improves safety for pedestrians as well as people biking, taking transit, and driving on NE 102nd Ave between Weidler and Sandy.

This nearly two-mile corridor is on Portland’s High Crash Network, which means it is one of the top 30 streets for crashes in the city. This corridor is surrounded by homes, businesses, community centers, and schools, including Prescott Elementary School and Mt. Hood Community College.

Project goals

• Reduce crashes
• Reduce vehicle speeds
• Improve pedestrian crossings
• Improve access to transit
• Create bicycle facilities that serve all ages and abilities

 

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**On the next page, check NE 102nd Ave Safety Project, then submit** Email address:

Project Timeline:

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Community Engagement:

Summary & Findings before the project (2018)

To learn more about the community engagement process and findings, please read the NE 102nd Ave Safety Project Community Engagement Summary

Key findings (before project implementation)

• About two-thirds of people expressed support for the pilot project.
• About two-thirds of people indicated they are concerned about fast speeds on NE 102nd Avenue and about crossing at an unmarked intersection.
• More people expressed concern about biking on NE 102nd Avenue than not.
• Many people shared concerns about drunk driving and safety on the bridge over I-84.
  
• Many people expressed concern that the safety project would increase congestion, resulting in neighborhood cut-through, difficulty getting out of the neighborhood, and aggressive driving behaviors.

Completed open houses:

Thursday, April 12 2018     5-7 PM     Mt Hood Community College     10100 NE Prescott St

View the April Open House information boards 

Wednesday, May 16 2018    4:30-7:30 PM     Midland Library     805 SE 122nd Ave

Tuesday, June 5 2018     6-8 PM     Rosewood Initiative     16126 SE Stark St

Wednesday, January 9th 2019   5-7 PM   Crossroads Church Community Room   2505 NE 102nd Ave

View the January Open House information boards (NOTE: updated design is not reflected in this file)

Other Engagement:

• April 17 2018 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association
• May 7 2018 - City of Maywood Park
• May 9 2018 - East Portland Neighborhood Office Land Use and Transportation Committee
• May 23 2018 - Parkrose Heights Neighborhood Association
• October 6 2018 - Prescott Elementary Fall Carnival
• November 5 2018 - IRCO Africa House
• December 7 2018 - Parkrose High School
• January 7 2019 - IRCO Asian Family Center
• February 19 2019 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association
• April 18 2019 - Parkrose Business Association
• May 1 2019 - East Portland Chamber of Commerce
• September 12 2019 - Parkrose Middle School back to school night
• September 17 2019 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association.
• September 25 2019 - PedPDX in action: 102nd Ave Steptember walk
• October 17 2019 - Parkrose High School
• November 4th, 2019 - City of Maywood Park
• November 6th, 2019 - East Portland Chamber of Commerce
• November 20th, 2019 - East Portland Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting
• November 21st, 2019 - Parkrose Business Association
• December 2nd, 2019 - IRCO Africa House

 

The project also maintained direct communication with the Parkrose neighborhood association board the City of Maywood Park council members. The team has also responded to many phone calls, emails, and letters from interested community members. 

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Project Background:

 

Some facts about NE 102nd Ave from Weidler to Sandy before the project:

 

          

 

          

 

 

• About 10,000 vehicles travel in each direction daily.
• NE 102nd is a major connection route between Gateway and Parkrose.
• NE 102nd is served by transit lines 22 and 87.
• The are 3 current bikeways and 5 future bikeways that connect to this corridor.

Vision Zero: 

Vision Zero is Portland’s goal to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2025. In order to do this, Vision Zero has identified the streets with the highest number of road fatalities, serious injuries, and crashes with bicycles and pedestrians. These streets make up the High Crash Network. 

NE 102nd Ave from Burnside to Sandy is part of the pedestrian high crash network.

East Portland Action Plan (EPAP):

EPAP is a guide for improving livability in outer East Portland, developed in 2009. The EPAP committee is a community led effort to implement this plan.In 2012, PBOT and EPAP developed the East Portland In Motion (EPIM), which is an implementation strategy for active transportation projects and programs east of 82nd Ave. EPIM identified 102nd as high priority for walking, transit, and biking improvements.

Fixing Our Streets:

In 2016, Portland voters passed the city’s first local funding source dedicated to street improvements and safety projects across the city. The measure, in addition to a Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, will generate an estimated $74 million over four years.

Using the information we have about NE 102nd Ave, the Vision Zero designation a pedestrian high crash street, and input through EPAP and EPIM, NE 102nd Ave from Weidler to Sandy was selected to receive funding from Fixing Our Streets to do pedestrian and crossing improvements.

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Improving Safety for people crossing 102nd

NE 102nd Avenue had five lanes: two vehicle lanes in each direction plus a turning lane, and space for parking on both sides of the street.

 

This configuration is difficult for crossings because:

-People crossing the street have to cross a long distance at once. Even crossings at traffic signals can be difficult, which is evident on NE 102nd where many of the crashes happen at the intersections with traffic signals.

-The only crossings that PBOT considers to be safe when crossing five lane are traffic signals or pedestrian hybrid beacons. It was not possible to install as many traffic signals or pedestrians hybrid beacons because of the way they affect traffic flow and because of cost.

 

An alternative is to change the number of lanes.

Volumes on NE 102nd Avenue are low enough that adjusting to one vehicle lane each direction, making it a three-lane corridor, was projected to cause very little delay. This option also allows for buffered bike lanes to be added to the street.

 

With only three vehicle lanes, PBOT was able to add safe enhanced crossings with a pedestrian island and signage. Some of the specific advantages include:

-More intersections were treated because of a lower impact on traffic flow and lower cost.

-Safer crossings at some signalized intersections where there are fewer lanes to cross.

-A traffic calming effect lowers speeds.

-Bike lanes are added to the corridor.

 

Weighing these two options, PBOT determined that the most effective way to improve safety and eliminate pedestrian crashes and traffic related deaths and injuries, is to adopt the three lane solution. 

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Project Design (Pilot Phase):

For the majority of the 1.75 mile corridor, the NE 102nd Ave Safety Project offers a configuration with three vehicle lanes, buffered bikes lanes, and on-street parking. Customized modifications were made at key areas to address a variety of issues and opportunities, including at NE Weidler Street, NE Tillamook Street, the overpass over I-84 and the railroad, NE Fremont Street, NE Prescott Street, and NE Sandy Boulevard.

Click here to see the NE 102nd Avenue corridor designs with annotations explaining different changes.

Click here to see the full corridor design.

Note: Some minor changes have been made to the design, including moving the NE Sacramento Street crossing about 100 feet south to NE Thompson Street, and maintaining two vehicles lanes south bound on the bridge for a longer stretch.

Pilot and Evaluation:

The project team has heard many concerns that the project will lead to increased congestion and diversion onto neighborhood streets. Modelling and engineering studies suggested that was unlikely to happen except in extraordinary circumstances. To address the concerns, PBOT installed this project as a pilot in summer 2019. The pilot allowed people who live in the neighborhood to see how the new facilities function and respond to what works well and what doesn’t. It also gave PBOT an opportunity to collect data on project impacts.

Phase 1 of the pilot included changing the road striping and installing flexible plastic posts for the segments of two-way protected bike lanes and to mark the pedestrian refuge islands. 

PBOT collected data on on NE 102nd Avenue and on neighborhood streets and conducted a month long survey in October 2019. The data collected shows an overall improvement in safety measures. Vehicle speeds on NE 102nd Avenue are lower, and the street better meets guidelines for pedestrians and people biking. The data does not show significant changes to travel times for TriMet buses or other vehicles, nor does it show significant changes to volumes or speeds on nearby neighborhood streets. The survey responses included over a thousand comments and suggestions.

Read the full NE 102nd Avenue Safety Project Evaluation Report

The NE 102nd Avenue Evaluation Report Appendix includes the data used for the evaluation report.  

Now that the evaluation is complete, PBOT is preparing to complete the project with Phase 2.

Phase 2, coming in summer 2020, will add two new crossings and will build out concrete elements like the the permanent pedestrian islands, curb extensions, and curb ramps. 

PBOT is also pursuing funding for other efforts such as adding lighting along the street and adding a protected left turn at NE Prescott Street.

To learn more about the pilot evaluation strategy, please read through the NE 102nd Ave Safety Project Pilot Evaluation Guide.

Construction Date: Phase 1 - Summer 2019; Phase 2 - Summer 2020

Current Project Phase: Construction/ Evaluation

Total Project Budget:  $331,000 from Fixing our Streets as well as additional funding from related projects including sidewalk infill on NE 102nd Ave from I-84 to Sandy and the Bell and Tillamook Greenway, and the Cannabis Tax.

Project Contact: 

Christopher Sun
503-823-5391
Christopher.Sun@portlandoregon.gov

Last updated: 28 January 2020