toppers coming soon to SE Clinton Stb.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Great news for one of Portland’s busiest bikeways… After nearly three years since it was first announced, the Bureau of Transportation is set to begin installing elements of their Clinton Street Bike Boulevard Enhancement Project.
PBOT staffer Jeff Smith came to the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday to share more about what you can expect to see on Clinton Street in the coming months and to explain the intent behind the project.
Unlike the many neighborhood greenway projects that PBOT is currently working on, this project entails adding artistic, aesthetic appeal to the Clinton Street bikeway. The idea is to essentially brand the street as a bikeway and create a more pleasant environment for all users. PBOT worked with local artists and the Regional Arts and Culture Council to come up with the designs.
There are six different artistic elements that will be coming to Clinton Street between the project boundary of SE 52nd to SE 12th:
“Street sign toppers”: PBOT will install metal toppers in the shape of bicycles to 70 street signs along the corridor.
“Head badges”: These four-by-two feet stainless steel “badges” will be placed at 10 locations along Clinton. They will be stainless steel with a polyvinyl backing.
“Bike flags”: Three traffic poles along the corridor will be adorned with “half-bikes.” These will be actual bicycles, cut in half, refinished and powdercoated, and then hung horizontally.
Pavement markings: PBOT will use paint (not thermoplastic) for a variety of new pavement markings. They are currently working with artists on two designs which they call “piazza mandala” and “bike down.” The markings will be similar in size to existing sharrows and will be placed at eight locations.
Bike corrals*: At SE 21st and 25th, PBOT will install a new version of their on-street bike corrals. These special corrals will feature a flower medallion and other artistic accents. (This element is being funded by the PBOT bike parking fund. They cost about $8,000 each.)
Smith says they are currently fabricating the elements and installation will begin later this winter. The new bike corrals could go in within a few weeks. If all goes according to plan, the project will be done by spring. PBOT will then evaluate what people think about the new street features and then decide how and if to use them again in the future.
The larger idea here is to then use a similar branding/artistic approach on Portland’s other bike boulevard streets like SE Spokane, Going, and so on. This project is being done with $28,000 from PBOT ($8,000 of which is for the two bike corrals) and about $10,000 from the RACC to pay the artists.
This was one of the five “languishing” bike projects we reported on back in August, so it’s great to see it finally becoming a reality. I’m really looking forward to how it turns out and hopeful that we can do more branding of other bikeways in the future.