(Note: Commissioner Mapps has issued a response that pushes back on the Chamber’s claims and says the project will move forward as planned.)
The Portland Metro Chamber (formerly the Portland Business Alliance) says a major downtown infrastructure project that has been years in the making and has reportedly already broken ground should be cancelled.
In a letter dated April 29th and sent to Commissioner Mingus Mapps, Mayor Ted Wheeler, and Portland Bureau of Transportation Director Millicent Williams, Chamber President & CEO Andrew Hoan writes, “We call on you today to cancel what can only be described as the unnecessary, wasteful, and disruptive SW 4th Avenue ‘improvement’ project.”
We reported back in December that PBOT planned to break ground on the $16.9 million project in April and it would be finished by the end of 2025. The plans call for the reconstruction and repaving of SW 4th Ave from Lincoln to Burnside. In addition to new pavement, PBOT plans to upgrade ADA curb ramps, make safer crossings, add street lighting, give buses more priority, and build a new protected bikeway.
But the Chamber, who represents 2,200 member businesses and organizations, says the money that PBOT is spending on SW 4th would be put to better use on other projects. Specifically, the Chamber’s letter calls on PBOT to shift the $16.9 million already allocated for 4th and spend it on the Broadway Corridor and OMSI District redevelopment projects.
SW 4th Avenue emerged as a priority north-south bikeway as part of the Central City in Motion (CCIM) plan, which city council adopted in 2018. The street currently has no dedicated bike infrastructure and riders mix in traffic with other vehicles.
Hoan and the Chamber have seized on the downturn in commuting to make their case against this project:
“At its peak approximately 130,000 workers were traveling downtown every day. At that time, we needed to give workers and visitors alternatives to single occupancy vehicle trips traveling to and from downtown. That reality no longer exists, yet CCIM has continued to move forward without any consideration for the completely transformed landscape and reality.”
The Chamber’s letter also says they feel the bikeway is no longer needed because of the recent decline in bike ridership:
“The data show a clear correlation between the shift to remote work and the decline in downtown bike commutes. There is no need for more bike lanes on SW 4th Avenue. PBOT has already installed protected bike lanes between the north and south ends of downtown on SW 2nd Avenue, SW Broadway, and SW Naito. The current infrastructure is clearly not being fully utilized or increasing the number of bike trips…”
The letter was shared in an email to member sent Monday, May 6th. In that email Hoan cited how the implementation of other CCIM projects has been, “far from stellar.” “The Broadway bike lane installation being a prime example of alterations that have challenged businesses along the corridor, especially our hospitality partners,” Hoan wrote, a reference to concerns voiced by hotel valet operators that led to an attempt by PBOT to reverse the SW Broadway bike lane design.
Also in yesterday’s email, Hoan made false claims that the SW 4th Avenue project has been advanced “with no outreach” and that PBOT would spend “$20 million dollars to add a bike lane.” The truth is PBOT has completed years of public process on the project and the vast majority of the funding would go toward rebuilding and repaving the road, not the “bike lane.”
According to a PBOT presentation at the June 2022 meeting of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, the bike lane accounts for just 4.8% of the total project cost.
While the Chamber says the bikeway isn’t needed because of a decrease in cycling, they opposed it for different reasons in 2018. In a letter about the CCIM plan prior to its adoption in 2018, the Chamber opposed a bikeway on SW 4th because they believed, “Reducing auto capacity on major arterial roads will have significant economic impact to our downtown businesses,” and that reducing space for car users would, “severely limit the capacity of our few remaining arterial routes through the city.”
While the bikeway is the most visible element of the SW 4th Avenue project, the bulk of the cost comes from the repaving. Funding for the project comes from a mix of sources including Fixing Our Streets, PBOT maintenance funds, system development charges, and help from Prosper Portland and TriMet.
The Chamber believes the money should instead help kickstart construction of transportation elements of the Broadway Corridor and OMSI District plans, both of which have housing and property development as their core focus.
“We do not make this request lightly and with the knowledge that the PBOT bureaucracy will likely push back against it,” Hoan writes in the letter.
But in the email to members, Hoan was more candid, saying, “The ball is now in Commissioner Mapps’ court. Please let us know if you are able to put a follow-up call into Commissioner Mapps. We expect some allies and other council offices to weigh in with Mapps in support as well.”
Commissioner Mapps’ office has confirmed receipt of the letter and says they’re working on a response.
In response to BikePortland’s request for comment, PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer stuck to the facts and seemed to make it clear the bureau has no plans to pause or delay the project further:
“City Council approved the Fourth Avenue Improvement Project construction contract for the work with Brown Contracting in February and issued notice to proceed to the contractor in April. Early construction has begun with survey markings, protective fencing, and mobilization. We are planning to issue a traffic advisory in the next day or two. Early construction has begun with survey markings, protective fencing, and mobilization. We are planning to issue a traffic advisory in the next day or two.”
UPDATE, 11:49 am: Statement from cycling advocacy nonprofit BikeLoud PDX:
“… We call on the Portland Metro Chamber to engage more with transportation groups to understand how they can effectively partner to help improve access for bicycling in Portland. More people riding bikes is better for the businesses they represent. Construction has already begun on this project. If Commissioner Mapps were to stop it now we would waste millions of dollars spent on planning, outreach and signed construction deals. Portland Metro Chamber members should look closely at what their leadership is doing and how effective it is. Why is the Chamber advocating for this waste and trying to keep our crumbling downtown streets the same? Introducing last minute obstacles to undo years of community outreach and planning in an attempt to derail bicycling improvements is not how we make the kind of progress we need to advance our climate, transportation, and business goals.”
UPDATE, 3:15 pm: Vice Chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association Board and Chair of the association’s lane-use and transportation committee has just sent a letter to Commissioner Mapps:
“The Downtown Neighborhood Association strongly supports the successful completion of the 4th Ave Improvement Project as designed, and has faith that the City will honor its commitment to the downtown community and its contractors to see it through. We thank PBOT for its earnest engagement of community residents and proactive involvement of the DNA. We were proud to endorse this project more than a year ago.
It is true that the circumstances of downtown have changed in the post-pandemic world, and as such we feel that infrastructure improvements are more important than ever to enhancing the livability of downtown, which is in turn key to Portland’s revitalization. The Central City in Motion plan strikes a delicate balance between attracting outside shoppers and tourists, and ensuring that central city residents andcommuters can safely and comfortably move around their neighborhoods.
This project aims to bring many vital upgrades to 4th Avenue, including much-needed bus prioritization, pedestrian and ADA safety developments, and a complete reconstruction of the road surface and subsurface which are in a state of serious disrepair. Throughout this project, residents along this corridor have asked for a smoother road, better crossings, and a street that is safe and accommodates everyone. We look forward to that being delivered.”