One of Portland’s deadliest streets will get major changes with a project set to break ground in the coming months. The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced last week they will repave Southeast Stark Street between 108th and 122nd this spring. In addition to new pavement, PBOT will add protected bike lanes on both sides of the street.
It’s all part of the larger Safer Outer Stark project that launched in 2019. Stark has a gruesome history as a high-speed stroad where people in cars, on foot, and on bikes run a higher than average risk of death or serious injury from a traffic collision. SE Stark and 122nd is known as the highest crash intersection in the entire city. Advocates have pushed PBOT for years to make a large safety investment on outer Stark and the city has responded. PBOT has split the $20 million project into five phases. The first two are complete and the one that will repave and add bike lanes this spring is phase three.
This 0.7 mile section of SE Stark begins just east of the Stark-Washington couplet at Mall 205. The width of the road is about 60-feet and it currently has four general purpose lanes and a center turn lane. The stretch between SE 113th and 117th runs along the south side of Ventura Park and has a 30 mph speed limit. Despite doing a complete repave, PBOT will not reduce the number of general travel lanes. See the before/after graphics below shared in a PBOT video about the project:
As you can see in the image above, PBOT plans a buffered bike lane with a concrete curb.
After this project is complete, PBOT will continue with the last two phases in 2025 when they’ll build six new crossings at SE 111th, 119th, 128th, 137th, 141st, and 151st. The last phase of the project will extend safety and crossing upgrades — as well the protected bike lanes — all the way to the city border with Gresham (SE 162nd).
Funding for the project comes from a mix of sources including $11 million from the city’s General Fund, $6 million from the state transportation package passed in 2017, $2 million in System Development Charges, and $1 million from the Fixing Our Streets program. Learn more at the Safer Outer Stark project website.