Cross-section of proposed project
that would link the Springwater
to the Trolley Trail in Milwaukie.

While much of the media attention for the current round of Metro's regional flexible funding allocation revolved around the Portland bike sharing project, there are a host of other (extremely important) projects and programs that have been selected.

Metro is accepting public comments on all the projects until 5:00 pm on October 13th. Metro wants to know, not simply whether or not you support a project, but how you'd like to see it implemented. (more...)

New striping gives bike traffic a
buffer from cars on NE Wheeler
behind the Rose Quarter.
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has begun implementation of a project to make bicycling near the Rose Quarter more comfortable.

NE Wheeler Ave between Winning Way and the Rose Quarter Transit Center now has wider bike lanes in the northbound direction and a new buffered bike lane and sharrows for bike traffic headed southbound.

The project is one of three "Lloyd District Bikeway Development" projects the City embarked on in December 2010. This particular project was targeted for changes because there is a gaps in the bikeways between N. Vancouver Avenue (at Broadway) and the Rose Quarter Transit Center.
(more...)

Commissioner Amanda Fritz and Mayor
Sam Adams listening to testimony on
the 50s Bikeway project today.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Portland City Council voted in unanimous support of the 50s Bikeway project today (Commissioner Saltzman was not present).

The $1.5 million, federally funded project will fill a 4.3 mile gap in the north-south bikeway along 52nd and 53rd Avenues from SE Woodstock to NE Thompson. A mix of bike lanes and bike boulevards, along with crossing improvements at eight major arterial streets, will connect the nearly 20,000 nearby residents and 12 schools within a half-mile of the route with a low-stress biking experience.
(more...)

The 50s Bikeway project
is at City Council today!
(Map: PBOT)

The 50s Bikeway project will be up for a vote at City Council today. While it's expected to get the required three votes of support, you can also expect some loud opposition to one specific piece of the project — a diverter planned for SE 52nd just north of Division.

Before I get into that, here's a quick reset of the project: The $1.5 million, federally funded 50s Bikeway will create a 4.5 mile bike-friendly corridor on 52nd/53rd Avenues from NE Thompson to SE Woodstock. The public process for the project began back in January. Since then, the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has held a robust public process (41 public meetings) that wrapped up with the second of two open houses at the end of June. (more...)

A new plan by PBOT would convert
the auto parking on this stretch
of Holladay into a 10-foot
wide shared auto/bike lane.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has released a new plan for how to turn NE Holladay Street into a major, two-way bikeway from the Rose Quarter Transit Center to Holladay Park in the Lloyd District.

Advocates initially pushed to make Holladay completely carfree; but that idea was off the table by the time PBOT began an official public process for the project back in December 2010. Then, real estate developers, various Lloyd District stakeholders, and even the Portland Development Commission piled on with objections to the "loss" of any parking on NE Holladay — an element of the project that's considered imperative to make the required space for a comfortable bikeway. (more...)

Looking west from NE 82nd Avenue onto what could be the location of the first paved portion of the Sullivan's Gulch Corridor.

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Drawing of the future Waud Bluff Trail, which could open as early as spring 2012.
- Download PDF -

(more...)

PBOT planner Mauricio LeClerc presented
plans for the Pearl District last night.
(Photos © J. Maus)

After NW Lovejoy was decommissioned as a bikeway by the city, NW Marshall Street was supposed to take its place. The Bureau of Transportation added sharrows, smoothed out cobblestones, and installed signage and pavement markings to direct bicycle traffic from the main thoroughfare (Lovejoy) onto Marshall.

Unfortunately, it's not working out as planned.
(more...)

Traffic on Williams Avenue.
(Photo © J. Maus)

There are some new developments in the project to improve bicycling and traffic safety on N. Williams Avenue.

Following the most recent Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting on August 2nd, project staff have announced that in lieu of a September meeting, they will host two tours of the street in order to give SAC members (and the public) a first-hand look at existing conditions.
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Project drawing of new trail segment in Columbia Gorge funded by $2.1 million federal grant.
(Image: ODOT)

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PBOT map of Bryant-Holman Connector project.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation continues their expansion of low-stress bike streets in North Portland with a neighborhood meeting for the Bryant-Holman Connector project tonight. (more...)

Sellwood Bridge CAC member
Richard Marantz wants
your input.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Multnomah County has just launched a virtual open house for the Sellwood Bridge project and they're looking for your input on key design and funding decisions.

Among the many aspects of the project featured in the open house is the design of the multi-use path and bicycle traffic lane. The new bridge, which could break ground this winter, will have a 12-foot multi-use path to be shared by people on bike and on foot, as well as a 6 and 1/2 foot lane solely for bicycling.

Citizen's Advisory Committee member Richard Marantz (who gave me a tour of the bridge a few years ago) explains the bicycling design issues in a video that's part of the online open house. (more...)

Bikeway coming soon (we hope).
(Photo © J. Maus)

A bikeway project BikePortland has followed since April 2008 could be completed by the end of this month. The Portland Bureau of Transportaiton (PBOT) says they now expect the N Rosa Parks Way bikeway to be completed by the end of August.

The project was on a list of five languishing projects that I detailed back in August 2010 and it has been delayed numerous times for a variety of reasons (one complication is that the project crosses I-5 freeway onramps and an overpass, so ODOT must review and sign-off on the City's plans). Work on the project started in earnest back in June, but has been delayed once again. (more...)

Michigan (in red) is a popular
cut-through for Washington-bound
I-5 traffic.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is moving forward with a plan to create a new neighborhood greenway on North Michigan Avenue between N Fremont and Bryant Streets.

The aims of the project are to improve traffic conditions, make it more pleasant to walk and bike, and to reduce motor vehicle volumes and speeds. Another major issue PBOT hopes to solve with this project is all the traffic that uses Michigan as a cut-through for I-5 north when it backs up during evening rush-hour everyday.

PBOT's main weapon to thwart the cut-through traffic (over half of which is Washington bound, see below) was a full median island on Rosa Parks at Michigan that would prevent left turns (onto the freeway on-ramp). However, that idea was shelved in favor of a partial median (which would still allow left turns) after some neighbors spoke out in opposition. (more...)

Get the latest on PBOT's
plans for diversion at
the open house.

The public outreach process for the Portland Bureau of Transportation's NE/SE 50s Bikeway project is nearing completion. Today, PBOT announced the final open house for the project for Wednesday, June 29 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish (5329 SE Woodstock Blvd).

The open house comes after 39 neighborhood and stakeholder meetings since August 2010. As we reported last week, the $1.5 million federally funded project will seek to improve bicycling conditions along a 4.3 mile stretch of 52nd and 53rd avenues from SE Woodstock to NE Halsey. (more...)

One of the two new options revealed by Mayor Adams today includes 10-foot bike lanes on W Burnside.

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Vic Alfonso, owner of Alfonso Cadillac,
explains his concerns with PBOT project manager
Ellen Vanderslice after this morning's meeting.
(Photo © J. Maus)

After six months of meetings, analysis and negotiations, the City of Portland appears poised to implement changes that will improve bicycle access on and around the 12th Avenue bridge over I-84 in the Lloyd District.

At a meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Lloyd District Bikeway Development Projects this morning, a straw poll on whether or not the current plans (see them below) are "on the right track" was just one vote shy of unanimous.

Here are some highlights from the currently proposed plan (followed by official drawings): (more...)

The 50s Bikeway Project aims to create a 4.3 mile,
family friendly bike corridor.
(Photo © J. Maus)

The long-awaited 50s Bikeway Project — which will use $1.5 million in federal funds to build a low-stress bicycling environment along a 4.3 mile corridor from SE Woodstock to NE Thompson (near Sandy) along 53rd and 52nd Avenues — is entering its final phases of public outreach.

At a meeting of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) last night, PBOT project manager Rich Newlands asked for the committee's endorsement of the project (which they gave unanimously). Newlands said PBOT has already won support from seven of eight neighborhood associations the project runs through. The only remaining neighborhood left to vote on the project (Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association) is set to vote on it tonight. (more...)

Approximate route of new bike boulevard
coming to east Portland.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is close to the start of construction on a new "neighborhood greenway" that would parallel 82nd Avenue in northeast and southeast Portland. PBOT has put out a request for proposals to find a construction firm to start and the project is scheduled to begin next month.

The three-mile route would mostly use 86th and 87th Avenues and would stretch from NE Hassolo Street (near I-84) to SE Bush (south of Powell). The project is one of many neighborhood greenway projects PBOT is working on throughout the city (their plan is 15 miles of new neighborhood greenways (a.k.a. bike boulevards) each year through 2013).

To create a more comfortable and accessible route that parallels 82nd Avenue (an ODOT-controlled arterial), PBOT will use the familiar tools of speed bumps, curb extensions, sharrows, speed bumps, cycle-tracks, tree plantings, new signals, signage, and so on. (more...)

Traffic analysis shows about 50% of car
traffic on Willamette goes
40 mph (the limit is 35).
(Photos © J. Maus)

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is considering other options for how to improve bike access on N. Willamette Blvd after hearing loud and clear from adjacent homeowners that they don't want to lose on-street parking.

The goal of PBOT's North Willamette Boulevard Bikeway Development Project is to create a "low-stress" bicycling environment and improve bikeway access on this key link between North Rosa Parks Way and Woolsey (it's one of five projects the City announced in May 2010). Since this project was first identified over a year ago, the idea was to create more space for bicycle traffic by re-allocating space currently being used for on-street parking. (more...)