(Photos © J. Maus)
Tonight at Memorial Coliseum there’s a joint open house for two major planning projects that could transform the lower Albina and Lloyd districts and the Rose Quarter.
The Portland Development Commission is moving forward on a project to redevelop the Rose Quarter and the City of Portland and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) are embarking on the Central N/NE Quadrant and I-5 Broadway/Weidler Plan.
The N/NE Quadrant project will be a detailed planning effort that will encompass, “land use, zoning, urban design, open spaces, the Willamette River and multimodal transportation, including planning for I-5 freeway improvements.”
If there was ever a part of Portland ready for an overhaul, the lower Albina district between I-5 and the river is it. It’s a vital traffic hub into and out of downtown and the area is home to new residential and commercial tenants.
Back in January, we reported how the newly renovated and inhabited Leftbank Building (and Annex) might help spur a new effort to tame traffic and improve livability in the area. In March, the City of Portland opened the Madrona Studios affordable housing project. Add in the Eastside Streetcar Loop that will soon travel up and down the couplet and you’ve got an area that is ready to revitalize. But, unless some serious efforts are made to tame motor vehicle traffic, people will continue to stay away from this area.
Thankfully, Mayor Adams and the Trail Blazers have made it clear that transportation improvements will likely to be a part of Rose Quarter development plans.
If you care about active transportation and creating a more livable city; or if you live, work, or travel through the lower Albina/Rose Quarter/Lloyd District, come to this open house tonight and get involved with these plans.
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Joint Open House: Rose Quarter and N/NE Quadrant Projects
Memorial Coliseum, 300 N Winning Way
4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
More information here
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One of the potential outcomes to ODOT’s plans to widen I-5 through the Rose Quarter could be the loss of the Flint Ave. overpass.
This should not be allowed to happen. I much prefer using NE Knott, Russell and Flint to running the I-5 intersection gauntlet on Broadway, and loss of this overpass would pretty much force cyclists to use Broadway to cross I-5.
I think Flint really underperforms. There’s absolutely no traffic calming, no sharrows, and it’s also the main motorized route for the Broadway Bridge. I’ve had some of my tensest moments on this street during commute hours.
Instead, I take Vancouver all the way to Broadway, then make a (probably illegal) right turn towards the bridge. This has always seemed the most straightforward, quickest route for me.
On my return trips at night when it’s quiet, I cut left across the parking lot in front of the Left Bank, and then connect to Flint to head North. I think that’s also an illegal maneuver. I used the more traditional routes for a year and finally decided I like this route much better. If you watch this area, you’ll see all sorts of crazy behavior from people navigating the area on bikes. I’ve noticed a fair share of cyclists using the sidewalk on the North side of Broadway and ride that all the way up.
However you see it, this area is totally alienating to anyone not traveling in a car. It’s such an important gateway for people traveling by bike and foot, I really hope we take this opportunity to some GREAT!
Are we talking about the same N Flint street? Traffic levels are quite low and I’ve never felt the need for any special treatement for cyclists there. It’s certainly a much lower traffic street than either Broadway or Vancouver, and yes, the turn you are making from Vancouver to Broadway is illegal.
Yep, same Flint! I think we could pick one or the other, and make it the awesome bike route to the Broadway. Right now, almost all of the eastern approaches to the Broadway Bridge are not well served for the bicycle commuter.
tough call on whether to go to this meeting or the CRC one tonight…
Burr, that’s horrible. This is absolutely the safest way for bikes to bypass the situation at Broadway and Wiedler.
I don’t get out of work and commute back into town by 7pm. Sad, I would love to go and tell them to widen the bike lane more. The morning bike commute can get hectically crowded on NE Broadway before the bridge.