Road crews are rebuilding a sidewalk corner and adding a ramp on SE 76th Avenue at SE Harrison Street to provide an accessible crossing that meets current city standards. This pedestrian realm improvement project includes reconstructing the northwest corner of the T-intersection with the addition of a mid-block curb ramp in alignment with that corner.
Demolition workers have removed a segment of SE 76th Avenue’s sidewalk to support the mid-block Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant crosswalk ramp. Painted project design markings show that the northwest corner will extend into the roadway allowing for a larger corner with a level five-foot-wide platform that leads to the curb ramp. This additional sidewalk protrusion will shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians and allow those not crossing to round the corner on even ground. The existing corner forces every sidewalk user to navigate down the sloped surface regardless of the direction traveled.
SE Harrison Street leads to Mt. Tabor Park and is a designated bike route, making this a critical intersection to support pedestrian access. A future paving project along this road will reconstruct the road’s surface west from SE 76th Avenue to the park’s boundary. Drivers and cyclists should expect lane diversion as crews work along the road’s edge, and pedestrians may need to cross the street to avoid sidewalk closures.
Update August 8th, 2023: Work is complete and the crosswalk should reopen this week.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated crews would replace two sidewalk corners. Only one is planned at this time.
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