Bike lanes on Southeast Powell Boulevard east of I-205 are slated for upgrades as part of an Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) project.
ODOT started work on a three-mile stretch of SE Powell from SE 99th to 174th (city limits) in 2019 at total project cost of $158 million. The project was allocated $110 million by the Oregon Legislature in 2017 with the condition that once the changes were made, ownership of the road would be transferred to the City of Portland. The first phase of this project was completed in 2020 and focused on Powell between SE 122nd Ave to SE 136th Ave. At a cost of $25 million, ODOT added new bike lanes (one side elevated to sidewalk level), new lighting, more crossings, upgraded traffic signals, transit stop improvements, new sidewalks, and more.
Phase two of the project consists of two sections, from SE 99th to 122nd and from SE 136th to SE 174th (city limits). ODOT plans to match the cross-section from phase one, which also includes one less driving lane. A key goal of the project is to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes and reduce conflicts between all road users.
ODOT says construction will begin this spring and is expected to last five years. The project was expected to break ground in summer of 2022 but for some reason (that I’m not yet clear on), it was delayed. A major project on Powell just west of this project has also been delayed and neighbors have ramped up pressure on agency leaders and elected officials as deaths and injuries continue to pile up.
Once ODOT is done with this project, they’ll hand over ownership and maintenance responsibilities to the City of Portland as part of a jurisdictional transfer that was ordered by the legislature in 2017.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.
So are they not making any changes to inner Powell before transferring this to the city?
Inner Powell is not included in this Outer Powell project — and is not being transferred to the city. There is pressure (but no money and insufficient PBOT capacity) to do the same with inner Powell, but so far it hasn’t happened.
There have been some location-specific improvements on inner Powell, like improved crosswalks, traffic signals, and speed boards. But there is no comprehensive plan for inner Powell.
ODOT has offered to give inner Powell to PBOT as part of the their “orphan highway” program, but PBOT has (as usual) set such high conditions on the transfer that it’s unlikely to happen any time soon.
Curious about this:
Unless I’m mistaken this is a road widening project because powell east of I-205 is 1 lane each way with no center lane, except for the already improved section which has 1 lane each way + a center lane
The new right of way is wider. The project has acquired private property from adjoining property to make it happen.
Mostly – east of ~160th it’s three lanes already. It’s also three lanes at every major intersection I think
Correct. Powell Blvd is already two lanes in this section, and the project is adding a two-way center turn lane, bike lanes, and sidewalks. So it is a widening project but it’s not adding any “through lane” automobile capacity.
This is true in the narrow sense, but adding a center turn lane definitely is about adding automobile capacity by reducing delays from left turns
Sometimes projects can increase throughput and safety at the same time. That will be the case here. Turn lanes are a good thing, because it will prevent drivers from using the bike lane to pass turning vehicles.
Currently on the old sections of Powell, a lot of drivers are using the painted bike lanes as car passing lanes when drivers are blocking traffic to make left turns, since there are no curbs and sidewalks are rare. The section completed between 119th and 136th has eliminated the problem of car drivers driving in the bike lane, partly because of the center suicide lane, but also the bike lanes are now protected.
Compared to inner Powell, even with the extra turn lane and sidewalks, outer Powell is still quite narrow with only one travel lane in each direction, and deliberately so – the local neighborhoods want a main street to help local businesses to thrive, not a stroad that can’t be safely crossed by pedestrians. (Outer Powell has always had a bike lane in each direction, but now they’ll be “protected”.)
This is excellent news! Despite living east of 205, I don’t often choose Powell or Division to pedal due to loud, smelly, and fast automobile traffic. However, grade separation helps, and I’m thrilled about the better crossings! The crossing just past 108th will help me access Kelly Butte for some fun single track riding.
currently on outer powell, it is extremely common for cars to overtake the bike lane when someone is making a left and holding up traffic. really really stoked to hear it will be safer soon.
There’s a similar project that is in the early planning stages for Farmington Road in Washington County:
https://www.washingtoncountyor.gov/lut/planning/farmington-road-concept-plan
Currently, the plan is to bring Farmington between SW Kinnaman and SW 209th up to current standards, and transfer ownership from ODOT to Washington County.
As things stand right now, bike facilities, sidewalks and a center turn lane would be added. At the most recent meeting, staff haindicated that they plan to add two additional lanes (total of five car lanes) to the intersections at SW 185th, and at SW Kinnaman.
They are planning on a virtual open house in May, so if you live or ride out in that area keep an eye out.
I like the improvements they’ve already made 122nd – 136th. The intersections are little lackluster, but I guess you take what you can get.
My only wish is that they’d improve the connections to/from the 205 path. The freeway interchange there is no fun to bike & walk around. Lots of cars making turns on red or flying around wide corners.