$4 million ‘Better Naito’ project will break ground Monday

Coming soon: Sidewalk, green lanes, concrete curbs, updated signals.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Coming soon: Sidewalk, green lanes, concrete curbs, updated signals.
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
I try to not think about work while on vacation, but I couldn’t help think of Better Naito and Waterfront Park while I was in La Paz, Mexico with family over winter break. The reason? A dreamy piece of public space known as the Malecón.[Read more…]
“It’s a celebration!” beamed a helpful person at the check-in desk as I walked into the big open house for the Central City in Motion plan last night at UO’s White Stag Building. “We have cookies and temporary tattoos!” It was indeed an upbeat vibe as PBOT presented projects to the public for the first time since the plan passed City Council in November.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation has found a way to bring back Better Naito sooner than anyone expected.
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In a four-page letter (PDF) sent to Transportation Commmissioner Chloe Eudaly yesterday, Portland Business Alliance President and CEO Andrew Hoan offered carefully mixed doses of support and opposition to projects included in the City of Portland’s Central City in Motion (CCIM) plan.
And in a surprising show of dealmaking, Hoan offered up enthusiastic support for a carfree transit mall in exchange for the City’s proposal to add protected bike lanes to SW Broadway and 4th. And instead of using one lane of Naito Parkway for a protected bike lane, the PBA says they’ll support a new bike path that would bisect the iconic Waterfront Park. Neither of those ideas has been seriously considered in the past two years of discussions about this plan.
With less than a month before the groundbreaking investment in central city streets is scheduled for its first hearing at City Council, many project-watchers have been waiting to see where the PBA stands on the proposals. The organization represents 1,900 businesses and has a history of outsized influence at PBOT and City Hall.
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It was hard not to feel a wave of optimism about biking in Portland after talking with so many people who wanted to support this project.
(Photos: Armando Luna)
This is the latest installment of our Adventures in Activism column, written by Catie Gould and Emily Guise.
“Make Better Naito permanent! Sign a postcard!”
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Dear Portland, due to an internal miscommunication, #BetterNaito was removed a day earlier than scheduled. At this time, we are stationing flaggers on both ends of the installation to inform riders of the unexpected closure.
— Portland Bureau of Transportation (@PBOTinfo) September 21, 2018
It’s gone. Ripped out last night — a full day before it was scheduled to be removed.
What’s one more day when we already got cheated out of a full week due to a conflict with a nearby bridge construction project?
It’s a lot.
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Amid bustling, after-work traffic on Naito Parkway last night, dozens of Portlanders came together to send a message: The protected lanes known as Better Naito should stay.
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