In their quest to create a family-friend neighborhood cycling route in the Hazelwood neighborhood of east Portland, the transportation bureau has come up with something new: A double mini roundabout.
The innovative treatment will be installed in May as part of the 100s Neighborhood Greenway project. It’s part of a larger, $11 million effort from PBOT to improve access to jobs and public transit for people who aren’t in cars.
The new double mini roundabout will be installed on NE 108th where it crosses over Everett Street. Here’s more from the PBOT staffer who shared the news in an email today:
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So what is a double mini roundabout and why is it going here? Normally, when we want to make streets friendlier for our neighborhood greenways, we’ll flip stop signs so cross traffic is stopped and we give preference to the direction the traffic along the greenway is going. However, because of the way NE 108th Avenue is broken up and jags at Everett Street, our engineers devised a double (mini) roundabout instead. This will have the same effect: calming traffic, making it clear who has the right of way, and keeping the intersection easy to navigate and safer for those travelling north/south along the greenway.
(Photos: PBOT)
This isn’t the only exciting bit of progress on the 100s greenway.
(Graphic: BikePortland)
A few blocks north of the new roundabouts PBOT is building a new bike/walk path across an existing parking lot in order to make a direct connection from neighborhoods to Gateway Discovery Park (an awesome park that I highly recommend checking out). The path will go east-west on NE Wasco between NE 107th Place and NE 106th Ave.
In a recent project update, PBOT called this path the “crown jewel” of the project. PBOT negotiated with the lot’s owner to create what they call, “A brand new carfree public street.”
Stay tuned for a report once both of these pieces of the greenway are ready to ride.
Learn more about these projects on PBOT’s website.
UPDATE, 3/26: A reader shared the PBOT plans below that are being installed on NE 43rd/Royal Ct near Laurelhurst School. They’re part of a Safe Routes to School project but I don’t have many details beyond that. Looks like the roundabout race has begun! Reader says a PBOT staffer referred to the design on the right as an “amoeba”. Will update when I find out more:
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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