I’ve just confirmed some very good news: The City of Portland has the green light to move forward with the design of the Broadway Main Street project.
Back in July I shared that the Trump Administration had reneged on a $38 million grant that had already been awarded to the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The grant would have allowed them to transform the currently car-choked section of NE Broadway between NE 7th and the Willamette River into a family-friendly main street. The project is a lynchpin to the city’s Reconnecting Albina planning effort and is seen as an extension to the recently completed Broadway Pave & Paint project.
Unfortunately, the grant was taken back by the Trump Administration with the passage of House Resolution 1 (the “Big Beautiful Bill”), which rescinded all unobligated balances from the Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program.
But last month at a meeting of the I-5 Rose Quarter project, a presentation from the Oregon Department of Transportation included a slide stating that PBOT had received funding for the “initial phase of the ‘Broadway Main Street’ project.” I reached out to PBOT to learn more.
On Tuesday I received a clarification from PBOT Spokesperson Dylan Rivera that Oregon’s congressional delegation was able to wrestle away $5 million from the grant for project design.
Rivera confirmed that, while construction of the project has been officially cancelled, the $5 million is enough for PBOT to complete the project design and development. “This project remains a high priority for PBOT and the city. Having a completed design can make the project more competitive for future funding opportunities,” he said.
PBOT will launch a public engagement process early next year to help finalize the project design.
The vision for this project, as described by a PBOT staffer at a meeting in 2023 is that, once complete, someone could, “take a pleasant walk with their young child from NE 7th to Waterfront Park.” Project elements had previously included: a raised bikeway protected from auto users by a planted median; multiple improved pedestrian crossings; a redesign of the Broadway Bridgehead at N Larrabee; improved access to Rose Quarter Transit Center, and more.
Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to weigh in.
Thanks for reading.
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Shouldn’t it be “east”?
West would be on the downtown/Pearl District side of the bridge.
yeah thanks David. That was a mistake. Fixed it.
This is good news! This stretch of Broadway is horrible, and a humane treatment has been desperately needed for the last 30 years (since they built the MODA with parking garages designed to accommodate retrofits Broadway-facing development and additional space above the structures). I hope the City has learned their lesson and will compel some street-facing development when the MODA gets a facelift. I have some follow-up question in case anyone knows about this project:
I definitely hope this project makes provision for the north Portland Greenway. About two and half years ago, Metro committed money to Albina Vision Trust for a waterfront park between the Steel and Broadway bridges, but I haven’t heard anything since. Assuming that park happens, it’s not too hard to imagine a trail that provides connections between the Broadway Bridge / Green Loop, the Steel Bridge / Eastbank Esplanade, and on to the Blumenauer Bridge / Green Loop.
I would love to see this project come to fruition, however what are the “future funding opportunities” that the city believes are coming it’s way? Was the 38 million that the fed rescinded expected to cover the whole project?
Hi AaronB. There are many funding opportunities that could come up from local, regional, state, and even federal (once we kick Trump out of office) sources. The City has gotten pretty good over the years at leveraging funding and making projects pencil out by combining different buckets of money together.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, as a general policy, we should rely more on local funding and less on federal support for most projects, and that we should adjust gas taxes to reflect that (i.e. lower the federal tax, and raise the state tax).
I see no realistic chance of federal money for any project like this, especially in “Democrat cities” like Portland, for at least a year after Trump’s out of office (i.e. 2030), and much longer if another Republican gets elected (who would most likely be in the mold of Trump).
Even with a Democrat taking office in 2029 (which is the most likely scenario), it’s going to take a while to rebuild things at the federal level, and even then there’s going to be a lot of other projects vying for federal support.
If we want projects like this, we should be willing to pay for them ourselves. Or we should be very patient.
Great idea because local taxes are so low and work so well in Portland???…Preschool for “All”, Homeless tax, PCEF slush fund, Housing Bond, Zoo tax, Arts Tax, etc.
You’re joking right?
You seem to be confused by the term “local funding” as many people are. “Local funding” is basically anything that isn’t some special federal program beyond Oregon’s usual allocation. Oregon will continue to receive federal funding through Congress based on a formula that includes its population versus the rest of the country, and very likely the Oregon legislature will continue to squander its limited value on pointless interstate bridge projects it can’t afford, but the money will still be available even if its value will fall due to inflation and project delays. “Local funding” includes the Portland taxes you list, plus state gas taxes, vehicle registration fees, weight mileage fees and taxes, county funding, Metro and other bonds, and much else – somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 million to $200 million annually for stroadway projects in the Portland area (Portland + Metro + TriMet + Multnomah/Clackamas/Washington Counties + various surrounding cities, not including Clark Co & Vancouver).
Maybe live within our means but control our own destiny. We’re a sovereign state within the federation. Let’s act like it.
I appreciate your optimism, but I feel like I’ve been burned by the city before, so I’ll believe it when I see it. In my neighborhood, they put up signs in 2020 about a project I was excited about (the 70s Greenway: Cully Connector). The signs had detailed designs and the implication was that the project was coming very soon. 5 years later and still nothing. The city website for the project just constantly pushes back the expected start date.
I know this is a pipe dream, but, with the closure of the Broadway Bridge to vehicle traffic the past few weeks for bridge deck repairs, I have found myself wishing it could be a streetcar, bike, and pedestrian bridge exclusively forever. It’s been so much easier and safer to navigate leaf-choked bike lanes on Broadway without worrying about so much car traffic. It’s been almost pleasant! It has really driven home how much of a menace all that car traffic is.
I often wonder, why does Eugene have so many dedicated bike bridges across the Willamette but Portland has none?
I predict every intersection will be heavily signalized with bikes having to stop every block or two and wait for a special bike signal before proceeding, while the cars all stop and the drivers glare at the cyclists. It’s how we like to cycle in Portland, apparently.
And one through lane for all cars/trucks when a streetcar is stopped at the island platform.
Sad to see the funding evaporate but the fix is easy. Just add another tax to pay for it. Portlanders embrace taxes especially when the privileged will pay them. Remember this whole “we have the second highest taxes in the nation” and the “Portland Doom Loop” thing is essentially just fake news coming from all the Portland MAGAites. Businesses aren’t leaving, office towers aren’t selling for fire sale prices. Just add a property tax to the landed gentry….they won’t miss a few more $$. And bingo….we can improve Broadway!
https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2025/03/13/portland-doom-loop-stephen-green.html