TriMet re-opens portion of I-205 path

Entrance to transit station and multi-use path at SE Division Street.
(Photo: TriMet)

TriMet re-opened a 1.6 mile section of the I-205 multi-use path yesterday. Word from spokeswomen Mary Fetsch is that the stretch between SE Caruthers and SE Harold is now open since light rail construction has been completed in that segment.

Fetsch also said that the section of the path from Foster south to Clackamas Town Center/SE Sunnyside Rd. is set to open on September 12th, the same day TriMet opens their new MAX Green Line.

Story continues below

advertisement

The project to build the Green Line began in March 2007 and bike traffic through this vital north/south corridor has been re-routed ever since. Light rail construction is now complete, but Fetsch says the southern portion of the path will remain closed while they finish up the re-paving and lighting installation.

Once the nearly 7-mile long project is completed, the multi-use path will be wider in many spots, will have an elevated crossing over SE Foster/Woodstock, new lighting, direct access to MAX transit stations, and revamped landscaping and public art installations.

For full details on updated detours, download TriMet’s fact sheet on the project (200KB, PDF).

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

16 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Joe Adamski
Joe Adamski
14 years ago

Let’s hope this is the first step towards improved bike use and facilities throughout outer SE Portland. And that the Max ushers in some fun businesses close by that will make neighborhoods along Max bike and pedestrian destinations.

Couldn’t you just dig a nice little bistro near 92nd and Flavel? with adequate bike parking?

michael downes
michael downes
14 years ago

Poached that entire section last weekend (a lot of climbing over fences)and it’s going to be awesome when it’s complete. The solar/wind sculptures at Lents are kind of lame though. Neither aesthetically pleasing nor functional from an energy standpoint.

buzz
buzz
14 years ago

HOOORRRAY! I always liked to cruise that part of the trail when out for a ride and so happy I no longer have to follow that maze through Lents to get back.

Jay R.
Jay R.
14 years ago

It’s nice that it’s open, but it doesn’t prevent me from being bitter about the fact that I’ve been over two years without a path, and I still have to wait another couple months.

They’re taking their sweet-ass time, and it’s pissing me off. They could have started the work on the path months ago and been finished before summer hit.

Lord Nelson
Lord Nelson
14 years ago

Wow, so soon? Hard to imagine a major motor vehicle thoroughfare like this being closed without a similar detour for two years, isn’t it? TriMet doesn’t give a damn about what it’s actually like to ride around outer SE, and it shows.

buzz
buzz
14 years ago

@Lord Nelson: I don’t think it is just Tri-met that doesn’t give a damn about outer SE.

Stig2
Stig2
14 years ago

Lets see what kind of job they’ve done. Any improvements are welcome.

I just hate the crossings near the on/off ramps on the 205 path. There’s never a shortage of aggressive right-turning drivers who don’t give a damn about the crosswalks. It would be nice if they could tack the path onto the side of the max lines across the city. That would be the ultimate for making city cycling safe and practical.

We won’t be able to tell how awkward it is to negotiate the transit centers until they open. No doubt there will be smokers standing around in the way like at the Gateway TC.

E
E
14 years ago

Living in No Po I have never ridden the I205 path. I look forward to checking it out when it’s done. 🙂

beth h
14 years ago

I think the rideability is certainly improved, but I wish there were some trees left there for shade. That’s going to be one HOT section to ride in mid-summer.

Dan Hawk
Dan Hawk
14 years ago

I’m pretty excited for this section to reopen as my kids are little guys and these paths are great for them and really close to my house. I too am annoyed by the crossings at Division, Stark, Washington and Glisan. It seems like they could have at least gotten rid of the Division crossing by running the trail under the bridge.

Matt Picio
14 years ago

“Once the nearly 7-mile long project is completed … will have an elevated crossing over SE Foster/Woodstock”

So, is this on the light-rail bridge, or is this the previously-discussed “separate” bridge? Does “completed” mean September 12th, or some future date? (i.e. “opened” and “completed” aren’t always the same thing)

Craig Giffen
Craig Giffen
14 years ago

#10 Dan “Division crossing by running the trail under the bridge.”

Yes, I wondered this myself. That crosswalk is the reason I bike north up 92nd until I get across Division, then I cut over to the bike path.

Last time I was past there though they did put in a safety strip in the middle.

This should help a bit because the crosswalk was so long that cars on the opposite side of the road would never see you waiting if traffic was heavy, plus cars that come flying off of 205 aren’t expecting to have to stop so soon.

pierre
pierre
14 years ago

They’re taking their sweet-ass time, and it’s pissing me off.
TriMet doesn’t give a damn about what it’s actually like to ride around outer SE, and it shows.

STFU, local governments and Trimet do so much for bikes in Portland. At least appreciate it for once instead of bitching like a spoiled school girl whose daddy bought her the wrong color car.

Trimet has bent over backwards for bikes on the new Willamette River bridge which has now become mostly a bike bridge, and theyve improved this I-205 path tremendously with new lighting and grade seperations.

Contrast Portland with elsewhere in the country where the police will question you solely for riding a bike.

Mark
Mark
14 years ago

It is nice not having to traverse the ugly Foster & 92nd intersection but the Division and the Glisan crossings are still a big big mess. I have not gone further down than Sunnybrook (I work at 205 & Sunnybrook, still on the detour), I am not sure how the I205 trail crosses 224… can’t find any maps on it. I thought it would be a nice ride to head down south before heading home. Anyone know how the trail gets across 224?

Mark
Mark
14 years ago

It is nice not having to traverse the ugly Foster & 92nd intersection but the Division and the Glisan crossings are still a big big mess. I have not gone further down than Sunnybrook (I work at 205 & Sunnybrook, still on the detour), I am not sure how the I205 trail crosses 224… can’t find any maps on it. I thought it would be a nice ride to head down south before heading home. Anyone know how the trail gets across 224?

MC
MC
14 years ago

“Anyone know how the trail gets across 224?”
Yes, you get sent down 82nd Drive toward the Clackamas Fred Meyer. It’s not so bad at first, but if you travel down through Clackamas, better don a full set of armor beforehand: You will be hidden in the darkest valley of vehicular hell, surrounded by hundreds of belching cement mixers, long haul trucks, buses, and stretch SUVs, hoping that someone will notice you after you get flattened. That intersection is a serious flaw in the idea that I-205 trail is a continuous cycle path to Oregon City. It’s even worse coming north, where you have to turn at that intersection. I would actually rather ride on the freeway shoulder there (if I could) than go through that intersection.

In short: avoid it if you can!