The start of construction on the North Willamette Boulevard Active Transportation Corridor project is a joyous occasion for many folks who’ve waited years for major safety upgrades. On a personal level, I’m beyond excited for the transformation of a busy bicycling corridor I’ve biked and driven on thousands of times in the past 20 years.
That’s why I was surprised and disappointed to see a Facebook post* last week from Oregon House Representative Travis Nelson (*note that the original post is in a private group, so that link goes to a different, public post with a different comment thread). In what I’ve almost come to expect once a high-profile, bike-related project breaks ground, Rep. Nelson posted: “Are you all aware of the dramatic changes coming to Willamette Boulevard? I wasn’t made aware and I’m the State Rep. Do you approve of the changes? Why or why not?” (The post then linked to a BikePortland story from January 2025.)
Rep Nelson — a Democrat, Registered Nurse and grandson of Louisiana sharecroppers — was first elected to represent North and Northeast Portland in 2022, seemed to be making a classic anti-bike move: shield opposition to a project by complaining about the integrity of the process. But there’s more to Nelson’s concerns than he first revealed.
“DEI matters. I’ve reached out to 2 of the peninsula’s Black Churches… They knew nothing about the project.”
– Rep. Travis Nelson
Right on cue, Nelson’s post (see it below) triggered several pointed responses. He gave some folks an opportunity to post nasty things like: “They need to get the f out of the way bikes and joggers running in the middle of the f street,” “Always fcking up traffic in this city for bicycles,” “Absolutely over the catering to bikers,” and “Make them pay for bike license.”
The more thoughtful (and readable) posts came from people who support the project and didn’t appreciate Nelson’s framing. “Super disappointed to see you posting this,” said one person who added that they’ve lived on Willamette Blvd for 34 years and have, “watched crashes in front of our house over and over again.” This resident — who posted several photos of collisions and skid marks on their lawn — worried that Nelson’s post would, “empower those who want to continue the status quo so they can simply speed on my street.”
Another person commented: “This is really irresponsible for an elected official to post. Just because you missed something doesn’t mean it wasn’t well communicated.”
My feelers went up not just because I know how posts like Nelson’s often rile up the anti-bike base, but because I’ve seen this particular movie many times. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has a history of being relatively far along on a project like this (one that makes major street design changes that benefit non-drivers) — only to have a notable person or group stand up and say they were left in the dark. It can be a powerful tactic depending on who stands up. When the person is Black and claims the group who wasn’t included in the outreach were BIPOC Portlanders — PBOT will often change course. On North Williams Avenue, PBOT restarted the outreach process after some Black residents said the outreach process was racist. On NE 7th Avenue, a similar thing happened when Black residents spoke out and PBOT ultimately gave up on a groundbreaking greenway project design many folks were very excited about. On NE 33rd, PBOT took the extraordinary step of removing a bike lane that had just been installed.
In the case of N Willamette Blvd, Nelson told commenters on Facebook that the intention of his post was to simply start a conversation. “I posted here not to express judgment, but because I wanted to know if I was the only one who missed the memo. Based on feedback l’ve received, I’m far from being alone.”
In an exchange with Rep. Nelson on Bluesky yesterday, he explained to me that his concerns about the process are, “rooted in equity and inclusion.” “When I ran for this seat in 2022, I ran in part because of George Floyd’s murder. DEI matters,” he wrote. “I’ve reached out to 2 of the peninsula’s Black Churches near Lombard [an arterial several blocks away]. They knew nothing about the project.”
In other replies, Nelson clarified that he wanted to know how PBOT used a racial equity lens to ensure that non-English speakers were properly notified about the project. A public involvement summary on the project website reveal it went through a robust public process with over 30 public meetings since 2021. Nelson says he reviewed that information and still wants to know more about what role racial equity played. He says he’s reached out to PBOT to share his concerns.
Beyond PBOT’s outreach process, I asked Nelson if he had critiques about any other element of the project. “I’m concerned that traffic will be diverted to narrow side streets where some turns are limited,” he replied. Nelson was referring to new turn restrictions coming to some intersections.
“Do you think some traffic diversion and turn restrictions are an acceptable trade-off for the benefits of the project?” I asked him.
“It’s critical to me that the process be right,” Nelson replied. “There is a lot of generational racial trauma in N & NE. Vanport, redlining, urban renewal & the demolition for I-5 have had a long lasting impact. I don’t want people who feel like their voices haven’t been heard to be steamrolled by another project.”
This $6 million project (a mix of federal and local funds) is already under construction and should be finished by September of this year. Given the public process PBOT has done, it would be highly unusual for them to make major changes to the design. But like I said, everything can change when racism becomes part of the conversation. Hopefully PBOT has done their homework and can navigate this situation.
To be clear, while Rep. Nelson has concerns about the process, he supports the changes. “I’m 95% good with the project,” he shared on Bluesky Monday. “We absolutely need safer streets.”
I’ve reached out to PBOT for comment and will update this post when I hear back.
— N Willamette Blvd project page
