PBOT cancels I-205 undercrossing project near Gateway Green

A project to build a new biking and walking path under I-205 that would connect a key neighborhood greenway in east Portland near the Gateway Green bike park is slated for cancellation due to what the city’s transportation bureau says are unexpected budget risks, safety concerns, and construction complications. The news was made public via a notice posted Friday on Metro’s website that outlined proposed amendments to the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP), a list of all the federally-funded transportation projects and programs in the Portland region.

An eagle-eyed BikePortland reader (thanks Chris Smith) noticed that a list of projects to be removed from the MTIP included the “I-205 Undercrossing,” — which means the project would be defunded. This news comes despite Portland City Council accepting a $1.6 million grant in 2019 from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to design and engineer the project. I’ve since learned more about the project and have confirmed with City of Portland that they have cancelled the project and plan to return funds to the federal government.

Here’s what happened…

There’s a very big gap in the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Tillamook-Holladay-Oregon-Pacific (“T-HOP) neighborhood greenway route (green lines on map above) near I-205 and NE Halsey and the city received a federal grant (via ODOT) in 2019 to close it. One element of the T-HOP plan was a bike path under I-205 between I-84 and NE Halsey to connect the greenway to the existing I-205 path and Gateway Green bike park. The path had been eagerly anticipated because access to Gateway Green from the west is severely lacking in convenience and safety. The current bike route from NE 92nd and Halsey takes riders against traffic on the northern sidewalk of the Halsey overcrossing, then across six lanes of traffic into the Gateway Shopping Center parking lot before getting to the I-205 path. The route is indirect, stressful and annoying.

The 2019 grant allowed PBOT to begin the design and engineering phase of the path project that would greatly improve this connection. According to PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer, that’s when things got complicated.

The dirt road you see in the photo above was built around 2021 by Portland Parks & Recreation to be used as for service and maintenance access to Gateway Green. It’s on Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way and is not open to the public (nor is UPRR ever likely to allow the public to use it, Schafer says). PBOT planned to align their path on ODOT right-of-way which sits above this existing access road (upper left of image above). Schafer told BikePortland Tuesday that while the PP&R road was a helpful start, “PBOT was still faced with the same constructibility challenges trying to establish a path between the support columns for various structures as well as continued safety concerns about constructing a path underneath these freeway structures with limited visibility.”

As PBOT survey crews analyzed the location, Schafer said conflicts with other planned capital projects from PP&R and TriMet (A Better Red) made it even more complicated and created “budget and permitting risk.” PBOT also had public safety and maintenance concerns due to limited visibility of a path under I-205, “and risk of camping activities along the alignment,” Schafer explained.

So PBOT worked with ODOT to explore shifting the alignment to an overcrossing of I-205 using the NE Halsey Street bridge as a supporting structure. But ultimately, Schafer said, cost estimates skyrocketed due to added complexity and inflation. By June 2023 when 60% plans were drawn up, the estimate was up to $5.5 million — 120% over the available budget of $2.5 million. PBOT then considered reducing the scope to get the price down, but in consultation with ODOT they determined such drastic changes would likely jeopardize the federal funds (which were awarded based on a specific project description).

“Since PBOT is unable to identify additional local funding to address the shortfall,” Schafer said in her email to BikePortland yesterday. “The decision was made to cancel the project and return the federal funds.”

Schafer agrees it’s frustrating to see this project cancelled. She wants folks to know that any remaining funds will be added to PBOT’s NE Halsey Street Safety and Access to Transit Project which will build new sidewalks, buffered bike lanes, and other safety updates between 85th and 92nd (to the west of the Halsey overpass), “And help ready a future bicycle connection over I-205 on NE Halsey should additional funding be identified.” 

If alignment along the railroad and PP&R’s service road is a dead-end, perhaps we should shift the focus to building a tunnel under I-205 at NE Hancock (north of Halsey). This would create a direct connection between NE Tillamook/Hancock and Jason Lee Elementary on the west side of the freeway and Gateway Green and the I-205 path on the east side. If that sounds like a pipe dream, it’s worth noting that this is the exact alignment recommended on page 21 of TriMet’s 2016 Bike Plan (above right), so someone at ODOT must have considered it at one point.

While PBOT goes back to the drawing board, the gap remains. This weekend hundreds of riders and their families will come to Gateway Green for a big celebration to mark the re-opening of the park and the completion of a new section of the I-205 path built TriMet. Events like this underscore the need for strong bike connections to this cherished regional park, the I-205 path, and nearby neighborhood greenways.

— The MTIP amendment isn’t final. Comments will be accepted now through 5:00 pm on October 30th via email to summer.blackhorse@oregonmetro.gov. Learn more on Metro’s website.