PBOT set to break ground on NW Broadway protected bike lanes

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

4 years ago

Screen Shot 2020-09-23 at 9.15.13 AM — Concept drawing of Broadway and Davis intersection.
(Source: City of Portland)

Screen Shot 2020-09-23 at 10.26.01 AM — New lane configuration.

The City of Portland announced plans Tuesday afternoon to break ground October 3rd on one of their Central City in Motion projects that will bring a host significant changes to cycling conditions on Broadway between SW Oak and the Broadway Bridge.

The $200,000 project will include a new northbound protected bike lane (Broadway currently lacks a bike lane in this direction), physical protection for the existing southbound bike lane, and upgraded crossings at Glisan, Flanders, and Pine. The Portland Bureau of Transportation also plans to prohibit right turns at NW Hoyt — an intersection with a long history of right-hook collisions.

Broadway and Oak. New profile will have one less lane for driving, a protected bike lane on the right (going northbound) and a beefed up bike lane on the left. Hard to believe we let it look like this for so damn long.

Existing conditions on Broadway. Parking lane on the right will be removed for new northbound bike lane.

(Existing conditions. Click for captions.)

Broadway provides direct access into the heart of downtown Portland as it passes major destinations like Old Town, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the cultural district along the South Park Blocks, and the Portland State University Campus. In order to boost connectivity and convenience of the network, while adding more protected space for bicycle users, PBOT plans to build a new protected bike lane northbound between Oak (which is already a major bikeway) and the Broadway Bridge.

PBOT will use space currently taken up by auto parking for the new northbound bike lane.

Plans for Hoyt will prohibit right turns and add major traffic calming to the corner.

Plans for south of Burnside to Oak. Purple line shows cycling route.

(Plans for Hoyt and Pine.)

Another major element of this project is a new circle treatment and crossing upgrade in the wide Pine Street intersection south of Burnside. Northbound bicycle riders coming from Oak toward Burnside will get through the new circle in a shared environment with other road users (including buses) before the dedicated bike lane picks up again north of Burnside.

This project will change the profile of Broadway from six lanes to five lanes — while boosting its capacity to move people by 65% (according to PBOT claims). It currently has two lanes for parking cars, three standard travel lanes, and one bike-only lane. The new cross-section will have two bike-only lanes and three other lanes. PBOT will allow travel in two of the the southbound lanes during the morning rush (6:00 am to 9:00 am) and at all other times, one of the southbound lanes will be available for parking and loading.

To further improve cycling conditions on Broadway, earlier this year PBOT and TriMet moved the Line 17 bus off of Broadway and onto the transit mall on 5th and 6th.

This new cycling space on Broadway will become even more valuable in coming years as PBOT completes a major new northbound bikeway on SW 4th Avenue. That project will link up to new Broadway bike lane via Oak and provide a direct, protected connection from I-405 in southwest to the Broadway Bridge.

Construction is scheduled to begin on October 3rd and is expected to last eight weeks. More info on PBOT’s website.

(For more context on this project see our coverage from back in January.)

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
— Get our headlines delivered to your inbox.
— Support this independent community media outlet with a one-time contribution or monthly subscription.