The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) intends to update the sidewalk corners along SE 92nd Avenue at Taylor and Yamhill Streets. These intersections provide multimodal access for pedestrians traveling to Berrydale Park and the adjacent public school. Work will add ramps to crossing points that currently lack them and replace outdated single-ramp corners.

Corners at these two intersections will use a dual ramp configuration that allows pedestrians to travel in a straight path across the roadway. Older single-ramp designs direct uses towards the intersection’s center point and require wheel-assisted pedestrians to change direction twice while crossing a street. Crews will also add a mid-block ramp to compensate for the shifted alignment of SE Taylor Street. New ramps will use the raised truncated dome pads at the street’s edge. Those yellow strips provide detectable warnings to people with vision impairments. The distinctive surface pattern of bumps are detectable by cane or underfoot, alerting people to street crossings and hazardous drop-offs.

Unlike other recent corner reconstructions in the area, this project will not incorporate curb extensions. Those sidewalk enhancements reduce pedestrian crossing distances and place the sidewalk zone at the outer edge of the parking lane. Road crews previously constructed curb extensions at SE 92nd Avenue and Market Street. However, that work was part of the East Portland Access to Employment and Education project that prioritized bike and pedestrian safety.

These sidewalk corner enhancements will assist school children and park users in traveling to their destinations. In 2024, Berrydale Park should see an increase in usage after a $3.75 million renovation planned for the currently sleepy city green space. Work may occur this year. However, as winter approaches, this project could push back to 2023. Pedestrians using these sidewalks should anticipate some detours when work begins.