Update – Crews recently installed the traffic signal mast-arm poles on the southern corners of SE 80th Avenue and SE Division Street. Soon workers will return to install the remaining two poles. Then city staff will place the new control box, signals, and LED street lights planned for this intersection. Within the next few months, this busy crossing will become available to pedestrians and cyclists who have struggled to use this space safely.
Update March 11th 2022 – Crews recently completed the south side curb ramps and sidewalk reconstruction at SE 80th and Division. Work has moved across the street to the north side of SE Division Street, spanning Portland Community College’s vehicle entrance. After concrete work completes, signal and painting specialists will add traffic control lights and new crosswalks to the intersection.
Original Article Published January 21st, 2022
Starting January 31st, crews with Raimore Construction will begin road work at the intersection of SE 80th Avenue and SE Division Street. This project adds traffic signals, marked crosswalks, and other safety measures for bikes and pedestrians. Work will continue through March, causing limited traffic delays in early February. This enhancement is part of the continuing Outer Division Safety Project between SE 80th to 174th avenues.
Portland Community College’s (PCC) southeast campus interrupts SE 80th Avenue at SE Division. The school’s parking lot entrance roughly aligns with the 80th along the college’s Division Street frontage. Currently, the intersection lacks signals, marked crosswalks, and ADA-compliant curb ramps.
Updates to this intersection will reconstruct all four street corners and provide gaps in the previously uninterrupted traffic flow. Crews will install new curb ramps, add high visibility crass-walk paint, and apply green-striped bike crossings where the SE Division bike lanes intersect 80th Avenue. This new crossing point creates additional connection opportunities to the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project scheduled to run through this area. Four signal poles will support eleven new traffic signals, providing aid to cyclists and pedestrians traversing the busy street.
Around January 31st, crews will excavate a trench across SE 80th Avenue on the south side of SE Division Street. Cars turning onto SE 80th from Division Street or connecting with SE Division Street from 80th may experience lane closures. Between February 7th and 9th, trench work across SE Division at SE 80th will close down sections of SE Division street. However, traffic will be permitted in both directions during this work, with occasional lane diversions. Crews expect to close portions of PCC’s south parking lot entrance for a few days between February 10th and the 25th.
Road flaggers will direct traffic during work hours, and plans strive for minimal impact on automotive traffic at the intersection. Work is scheduled between 7 AM and 3 PM, avoiding impact to the evening commute. In March, crews will install signal poles at the corners and complete other remaining work. This later construction should not affect vehicle traffic. However, pedestrians and bicycles may have minor detours.
Portland Bureau of Transportation engineers designed these infrastructure improvements to safely move all modes of travel through an increasingly active intersection. Commuters along SE Division have grown accustomed to this type of construction activity as the multi-year-long improvement project nears completion. When driving through this area, use caution and plan for additional travel time during work hours.
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