Project Design + Public Involvement
The East Glisan Street Update is divided into three phases:
Phase I (2019):
- Street reconfiguration between NE 122nd Avenue to NE 162nd Avenue
- Marked crosswalk with rapid flashing beacon at NE 128th Avenue in front of Menlo Park Elementary School
Phase 2 (2020):
- Street reconfiguration between NE 102nd Avenue and NE 122nd Avenue
- Traffic signals at NE 108th Avenue and NE 155th Avenue for safer crossings
- Traffic signal for safer crossing at NE 113th Avenue
Improvements consist primarily of restriping sections in between the signals to achieve the project goals. There is a 3-lane cross section for most of NE Glisan Street except for the major intersections where PBOT will maintain the existing number of approaching travel lanes. There are no changes to the number of motor vehicle lanes on NE Glisan west of NE 106th to maintain space for the I-205 approach. This updated street design provides the space needed to install new rapid flashing beacons and pedestrian islands while still maintaining the center turn lane for left turns, which we heard as an important concern from neighbors along the corridor.
The East Glisan Street Update street design factors in feedback from community members who voiced feedback about how merging can lead to road rage and frustration. As such, the design includes a zipper merge street design as opposed to prioritizing one lane (i.e. "right lane ends, merge left" or "left lane ends, merge right"). With the zipper merge, drivers yield to each other and take turns merging into one lane. In the other areas where this street design has been used it has been shown to reduce road rage and crashes.
The total capacity (the number of people getting through the intersection) at the intersections is expected to increase with the installation of new bike lanes along the corridor. PBOT also expects that the motor vehicle capacity of the intersections and driving times along the corridor will not be significantly affected during hours outside of peak travel time. During the PM peak, our modeling predicts eastbound driving times on the Glisan corridor between NE 102nd-162nd will change from 7.0 min to 8.4 min. For westbound, the predicted change in corridor driving times is from 6.5 minutes to 7.0 minutes in the PM peak.
Here are other things we heard from the community involvement phase of this project that took place in the summer of 2018:
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What we heard |
What we are doing |
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Ability to use center turn lane for left turns identified as an important feature by residents |
Design treatments maintain center turn lane |
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Difficulty crossing the street with fast moving traffic |
Pedestrian crossings either feature yellow rapid flashing beacons or red “STOP” signal indication for drivers (also known as a pedestrian hybrid beacon). Crosswalk locations have been prioritized in front of schools. |
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Merging into one lane creates frustration and road rage |
Our street design doesn’t prioritize a specific lane for merging (ex. “right lane ends”). Instead, drivers will take turns merging in what is known as a zipper merge. This has been shown to reduce road rage and improve safety in places where it has been used. |
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Concerns that driving times will be impacted beyond what PBOT expects |
PBOT has released a “East Glisan Street Update Evaluation Guide” to provide transparent information for how we intend to measure success on the corridor. |
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Concerns about cut-through traffic on local streets |
PBOT will be collecting data and monitoring traffic on side streets. PBOT also has several traffic calming projects forthcoming in surrounding neighborhoods. |