Early Monday morning at about 1:30 a.m., a person driving a vehicle struck and killed 34-year-old Michael L. Bute while he was walking on NE 33rd Drive, just west of the Portland International Airport and in front of the Oregon National Guard building, according to the Portland Police.
BikePortland readers may be familiar with NE 33rd Drive as a key north-south connection between NE Columbia Blvd and the bike lane on NE Marine Drive. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has plans for major changes at the intersection of 33rd and Columbia as part of their Columbia Lombard Mobility Corridor Plan.
The preliminary investigation reports that the driver was heading north on NE 33rd Drive, and that Bute was in the street when struck. The PPB did not provide a crash diagram, nor did they make clear whether Bute was crossing the road or walking along it. The road does not have a sidewalk. This is the 33rd person to die while using Portland roads so far this year, and the 10th pedestrian. The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the police.
BikePortland has contacted the Portland Police for more information.
— Lisa Caballero, lisacaballero853@gmail.com
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