[Welcome to the first of what we hope will be a series of posts highlighting useful bike routes around the Portland metro area. We’ll be looking at routes that don’t have clear directional signs but can still get people from A to B on a bicycle. If you’ve got a favorite secret route, drop us a line. — JM]
At a recent public forum I saw someone write a note on a list of desired bikeway improvements.
The note said the author wanted to see more “bike facilities leading to Barbur” so, in this first installment of Unsigned I’ll share a route that takes you from Lake Oswego to Barbur Boulevard.
It starts at the end of the Kruse Way multi-use path (MUP) and leads to Highway 99 where it crosses over I-5 and becomes Barbur. The route passes near George Fox University, PCC Sylvania, and other businesses in Tigard. It can also be used to get from Lake Oswego to Hall Boulevard, which leads to the Beaverton Transit Center.
Right after a Bike Route sign at the west end of the Kruse Way MUP, the trail dumps you out at the corner of the Kruse Way and Kruse Oaks. It seems like the MUP ends here but there’s another section, continuing west, on the south side of Kruse Way.
Once you’ve crossed to the southwest corner of Kruse Way and Kruse Oaks you’ll find the next section of the trail leading west towards I-5.
Use the crosswalk at Bangy Road to access the bicycle and pedestrian path on the other side…
…and cross over I-5 on the bicycle and pedestrian bridge.
Once you’re over I-5 there’s a pair of crosswalks to help get you across Highway 217 in one piece.
Another MUP starts up on the northwest corner of 217 and I-5.
The path ends at 66th Avenue, a street that parallels I-5 behind a business park. There’s usually very little traffic on 66th but it’s a good idea to keep an eye out as you leave the MUP and merge onto the road.
Taking the first left (heading west) off of 66th puts you onto 68th Parkway which curves around to the north and becomes 68th Avenue.
There’s no bike lane on most of 68th but you also won’t see too many cars or trucks. Sections of the street that run north and south (paralleling I-5, 72nd, and Hall) are used mostly by local traffic.
On 68th Avenue you’ll pass through a four-way stop near George Fox and continue north to Dartmouth Street. There’s a shopping center with groceries and a movie theater on Dartmouth to the west of 68th, but heading east on Dartmouth will take you southbound on I-5.
There’s a bike lane on 68th near Dartmouth which takes you north, across Dartmouth, towards Barbur.
The bike lane continues along 68th all the way to Barbur, but at Haines Street it’s striped to turn to the right. Following the bike lane to the right (east) takes you over I-5 on Haines towards PCCC Sylvania.
To get to Barbur you have to merge out of the bike lane and into the northbound travel lane on 68th.
Just after crossing Haines Street, 68th heads quickly downhill and then back uphill to Highway 99.
After you’ve climbed up the hill you’ll be at the intersection of 68th and Highway 99. The bike lane merges with the travel lanes at the intersection so you’ll want to have an idea of where you’re going before you get there.
Continuing north on 68th connects you with neighborhoods that lead to Hall. Turning left (south) on Highway 99 takes you back into Tigard. Turning right (north) on Highway 99 leads to the bridge over I-5 where 99 becomes Barbur.
Although this route provides relatively direct north/south access between Kruse Way and Barbur, bicycle traffic is slowed down considerably at the outset where it needs to utilize six separate pedestrian crossings to navigate around I-5 and 217.
Motor vehicle traffic along the route is light because cars and trucks have access to better alternatives, but 68th Avenue could quickly become unpleasant and unsafe if more cars and trucks decided to use it to access I-5.
Even with these drawbacks, the route between Kruse Way and Barbur is a good way to get between Lake Oswego and Portland. It will probably continue to be one of the better options until we get a proper bikeway between the two cities’ downtowns.
Do you know of a great route that’s hard to find? Send details of the route to will [at] bikeportland [dot] org and we might feature it in the next edition of Unsigned.