Frequently Asked Questions with Answers (FAQs) regarding ADA curb ramp scoping, design and construction criteria, along with helpful resources and presentations are provided here.  The site is updated monthly.

ADA Compliant Curb Ramp Design and Construction Criteria and Forms

• ADA Curb Ramp Design Form
• ADA Curb Ramp Design Form (Example with Instructions)
• ADA Curb Ramp Variance (Example)
• ADA Curb Ramp Inspection Form
• ADA Curb Ramp Inspection Manual (Includes example and instructions)

City Engineer Directives

• ST 001 Traffic Signal Improvements and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• ST 002 City of Portland ADA Curb Ramp Design Criteria and Approvals
• ST 003 City of Portland ADA Curb Ramp Location within the Legal Crosswalk

Letter of Intent - Coordinated Designs on ODOT/PBOT Streets

• Design Review of Curb Ramps on or Along State Highways

Curb Ramp Scoping

The ADA requires that when a project constructs a new pedestrian facility (e.g. a new sidewalk or ped-push button), resurfaces a portion of the street, or performs other alterations, the project must provide ADA Compliant curb ramps along the route as part of the project. 

• ADA Curb Ramp Triggers -- The Big 4 (Powerpoint)   15 MB PowerPoint *.pptx file
• Flexibility and Requesting Out of Scope Ramps            7 MB PowerPoint *.pptx file
• Case Studies (work in progress)

ADA Curb Ramps Frequently Asked Questions with Answers

What is CREEC and what is the CREEC Squad?

• CREEC stands for the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center.  The City worked with CREEC and Linda Dardarian (Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho) to obtain a Settlement Agreement for constructing or remediating 1500 curb ramps per year over the next twelve years (2019-2030), along with other ADA efforts, to make Portland a most accessible City.  The CREEC Squad is the group within PBOT that verifies that each ramp constructed or remediated meets requirements.

My project was scoped and funded years ago and did not include ADA Curb Ramp upgrades.  Are there opportunities for additional funding and design support?

• The ADA requires that curb ramps be constructed and upgraded as part of the public improvement project (or paving effort).  For older projects that were not scoped to meet ADA requirements, the CREEC Squad is available to provide guidance to ensure that the project is ADA compliant to the maximum extent feasible within the scope of the project and, in some cases, may be able to provide additional funding for adding more ADA ramps to the project.   For more information contact the PBOT ADA CREEC Program at:  adacreecprogram@portlandoregon.gov

How may a person request a curb ramp?

• Go to the City’s main webpage and tag the I Want To Request An ADA Curb Ramp Link at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/ .   This will take you to the RBR (Ramps By Request) webpage which provides an overview of the program, prioritization criteria and the ADA Curb Ramp Request Form. 

Whom may I contact for more information and assistance?

• By Email:  PBOT ADA CREEC Program at:  adacreecprogram@portlandoregon.gov

Contact an ADA Technical Advisors for assistance.

• Chon Wong, P.E. (Permit Engineering Construction)
• Raphael Haou, P.E. (Civil Design and Construction Management)
• Jimi Joe, P.E. (Civil Design and Construction Management)
• Chris Wier, P.E. (Right of Way Programs and Permitting)
• Eva Huntsinger, P.E. (CREEC Program Manager)

            Attend an ADA Curb Ramp workshop offered by our ADA Technical Advisors.  They will help you to answer tricky design and scoping issues, obtain variances, and answer your ADA questions.

FAQ -- Guidance Documents

• 11% Maximum Grade Break Requirement Memo

FAQ -- Log (Provides running log of questions asked to date with responses- updated monthly)

• ADA Design Values
• ADA Q&A

Other References

• Portland Pedestrian Design Guide
• Portland Public Streets Design Guide
• Portland ADA Curb Ramp Program  -  21 MB PowerPoint (*.pptx)
• Pedestrian Push Button Criteria  -  34 MB PowerPoint (*.pptx)
• Curb Ramp Standard Drawings (See Drawings P-547 and P-548)
• Special Provision -- Strict Conformance Specification - Use This on All Projects with Sidewalk Ramps