The City of Portland has just submitted “Notices of Intent” for four major projects they hope will receive funding through the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Enhancements program. Three of these projects, totalling over $5.6 million dollars, would vastly improve our bikeway and trail network.
The projects must still receive approval by ODOT and will then go through a three-month public comment period. Final project approval would be handed down by the Oregon Transportation Commission in February 2007.
Here are the three projects up for consideration, with descriptions taken directly from the project applications:
Bike Boulevards – Northeast Portland
“Plan and construct bicycle boulevards along identified corridors in the 2000, 5000, and 7000 blocks of NE and SE Portland. Developing bikeways in these areas will address significant north-south gaps in Portland’s bikeway network. Together, these north-south bikeways will connect numerous east-west bikeways and will help achieve a finer-grained bikeway grid in Portland’s inner neighborhoods than currently exists. These bikeways will provide direct bicycle access to neighborhood commercial corridors, and, in connecting to existing east-west bikeways, provide seamless bikeway connections to major regional centers and Portland’s Central Commercial Districts.”
Funds requested: $4.07M
Total Project Cost $4,537,000Complete the “Springwater Gap” – Southeast Portland
“This project will complete the Springwater Corridor Trail from SE Ivon to SE Rugg Rd, forming 19.2 miles of continuous off-street trail. It is a regional trail that is part of 40-Mile Loop. It will connect downtown Portland (via the Willamette Greenway and Eastbank Esplanade) and Corbett-Terwilliger-Lair Hill (via Sellwood Bridge) to Milwaukie, Gresham and Boring. Although an on-street connection is possible using SE Umatilla Street and SE 19th Avenue, it has 17 street crossings and requires cyclists to share the road with automobiles. The new trail will curve shortening the distance from 5460 to 4800 linear feet.
Need for this connection will increase when the adjacent Three Bridges segment opens in September 2006.”
Funds requested: $584,460
Total Project Cost $2,015,400
Columbia Slough Trail – North Portland“There are three segments to this trail: A.) N Denver to NE ML King, Jr. Blvd, B) ML King to NE Elrod Road, and C) NE Elrod to N Marine Drive. All three segments are regional trails that are part of the 40-Mile Loop trail system. These three segments are in or adjacent to St. Johns, Kenton, East Columbia, Bridgeton and Sunderland neighborhoods.”
Funds Requested: $1,077,000
Total Project Cost $1,844,780
These are all very exciting projects with huge impacts for Portland cyclists. Stay tuned for the public comment period later this year.