(Photos © J. Maus)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) effort to develop a network family-friendly, low-stress neighborhood bike streets continues to impress. On NE Holman, work on the much-anticipated extension of a small “pocket park” has gotten underway.
As I reported back in March, PBOT has decided to take a diminutive city park at NE 13th and Holman (just a few blocks east of that huge intersection painting at NE 8th) and extend it all the way across the intersection. The project will cut off through traffic by motor vehicles and will expand the park’s footprint while maintaining access for bicycling and walking.
As of my visit last night, the basic outline of the park is taking shape and much of the new concrete and curbs have been created.
Here’s the view from the sidewalk on south side of Holman east of the park…
And the view as you approach it heading west on Holman at Durham…
And from a more southerly angle…
A closer look at the same view…
Now looking west back at Durham/Holman…
Same direction, but standing in the middle of the park…
It looks like PBOT will keep some of the existing pavement (which happens to already include a sharrow)…
Despite the construction signs and mess, people are already coming out to walk and bike on their newly carfree street-park…
It was amazing to stand there last night and have it sink in just how awesome this project is. This is the type of thing I’d love to see downtown and in other, more central locations. We are doing this on a very low-traffic backstreet while New York City is doing this type of thing in Times Square. I’m excited for us, but I’m also eager to do more of this throughout the Central City and downtown.
Just as a reminder, here’s a drawing of how it’s expected to look when complete…
PBOT says the new street-park is set to be completed in a few weeks, prior to the Sunday Parkways Northeast event on September 25th. The plantings and vegetation will be done separately, in collaboration between the neighborhood and the Bureau of Environmental Services.
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On an unfortunate, yet related note, residents of the Woodlawn Neighborhood are upset that a woman vandalized some of the newly poured sidewalks yesterday. According to the neighborhood blog, a woman scrawled a bunch of large words on the wet concrete. A police report has been filed and there’s an effort underway to find the suspect.