PBOT is still looking for funding to
improve bike access on N. Williams.

What do bike boulevards in Grants Pass, a new trail from Hagg Lake to McMinnville, and the North Williams project have in common? They're just a few of the 53 projects from all over the state being considered for $8.5 million in grant funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

This year, ODOT's Active Transportation Section is combining two funding programs — the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (formerly Transportation Enhancements, TE) and the ODOT-run bicycling and walking program administered by the Oregon Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee — into one application process. (more...)

Highway 97 in La Pine, Oregon now has a buffered bike lane.
(Photo: ODOT)

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City wants $1.5 million for N. Williams Ave.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has applied for over $36 million in state transportation grants. The grants are administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) through their 2015-2018 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). PBOT's list (PDF) includes 16 projects, many of which are crucial for improving bicycle access throughout the Portland metro region.

See highlights from the list below, followed by my comments and more analysis of the STIP process:

• $1.7 million to construct a segment of the Sullivan's Gulch Trail where it passes under I-205. This segment of the trail is a key connection at its eastern terminus where it intersects with the existing I-205 path (more background in our recap of a project open house last year). It's interesting that PBOT wants to build a different segment than the one they applied for a federal grant for back in 2011.

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Jessica Horning.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

In case you missed it, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently hired a Transit and Active Transportation Liaison for the Portland metro area (what ODOT refers to as Region 1). The new hire is 31-year-old Humboldt neighborhood resident Jessica Horning. Since we'll surely be seeing and hearing a lot from Jessica in the future, I figured we should get to know her a bit better.

I recently asked Jessica a few questions via email...

My primary responsibility is to guide ODOT Region 1 in developing a collaborative and strategic approach to pedestrian, bicycle, and transit issues in the Portland Metro. That includes: (more...)

NW Broadway is a federally controlled
piece of the National Highway System.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

We continue to track an interesting policy development that could have wide-ranging impacts on several local streets here in Portland. As we first shared back in September, the new federal transportation bill, MAP-21, included an expansion of the National Highway System (NHS) to include "all urban and rural principal arterials."

In Oregon, that means as of October 1st there are 600 new miles of roads that are now part of the NHS.

Locally, this means several key streets that used to be solely managed by the City of Portland are now under the purview of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As such, the streets have an entirely new system of oversight, they must adhere to federal design, engineering, and performance standards, and so on. That gives PBOT much less leeway and independence to do innovative designs and to make changes to the streetscape without a potentially onerous process of seeking federal approval.

New information from ODOT about the implications of this policy make it clear that it's on the issue of design standards where the NHS expansion could have the largest impact on Portland. (more...)

Oregon biking and walking advocates received good news on Friday when ODOT Director Matt Garrett announced his agency is committed to key biking and walking programs that lost dedicated funding in the recently passed federal transportation bill (MAP-21).

As we detailed back in June, MAP-21 completely changed (and/or eliminated) the way many programs were funded. These changes have caused anxiety among advocates who worry that the new rules will make it difficult for biking, walking, and transit-centric projects to compete with more traditional highway projects.

Here's an excerpt from Garrett's statement: (more...)

Riding conditions on SE Powell: We
can do much better.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Next summer, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will begin construction on a $5.5 million project to rebuild SE Powell Blvd between SE 111th and 174th. The plans call for a host of changes, including a new widened shoulder for bicycle access. How exactly that shoulder is used, and what type of bike facility ends up on it, will be one of the main topics up for discussion at an open house this Wednesday.
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Detail of plans for
new undercrossing.

As we shared last week, the Oregon Department of Transportation is in the final stages of planning for a new undercrossing on the I-205 multi-use path where it crosses SE Division. ODOT staffers report a solid turnout at their open house on Tuesday night where they unveiled the design and asked for public comment.

In case you missed the open house, I just received the official rendering of the design. ODOT is showing two views of the undercrossing.

The aerial view shows how it will connect with the existing path...

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The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is set to unveil their plans to build a new undercrossing on the I-205 path at SE Division Street. An open house for the project will be held on October 9th.

According to ODOT, the new portion of the path will provide an alternative route under SE Division, in addition to the existing crossing. ODOT has also partnered with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and they plan to install a new, rapid-flash beacon at the existing street-grade crossing.

The new undercrossing will split from the existing path about 360 feet north of Division Street, cross under Division next to the MAX Green Line, and reconnect with the path at the north end of the Division Street MAX stop. "The new route will offer path users a non-stop connection through Division, without the need to wait for the signal at the Division Street crosswalk," reads an ODOT statement. (more...)

Our story last week about an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) "safety project" on NE Sandy Blvd has gotten the agency's attention. After being emailed by several readers who questioned the agency's chosen design for handling bike access in the project, ODOT community affairs staff sent out a detailed, bulk email on Friday afternoon. The email explains why ODOT chose standard bike lanes on the busy freight route instead of something with more separation — like a cycle track or a buffered bike lane — as recommended by their own design guidelines.

As per the project, ODOT is widening a 1.1 mile stretch of Sandy to include a center turn lane as well as two, six-foot wide bike lanes. ODOT Region 1 Community Affairs Coordinator Jilayne Jordan says the new turn lane is intended to reduce rear-end and other collisions and serve as, "a refuge for vehicles turning left onto or off of the highway."

The addition of bike lanes are a step forward from the gravel-strewn shoulders that exist there today. However, merely widening that shoulder and painting a stripe on it doesn't seem like much in a $3.6 million project aimed at improving safety.

In their response, ODOT listed several reasons why they are moving forward with the bike lanes and not a more appealing bikeway.
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