Road crews repaved 107 feet of SE Alder Street east of SE 82nd Avenue this week, addressing severe pothole issues. Southbound drivers often use this street to turn left and then circle around to SE Washington Street as traffic separators prohibit left turns onto Washington from 82nd Avenue. This low-cost repair improves drivability on SE Alder but does not address sidewalk and pavement deficiencies on this road.
With the exception of one property’s frontage, SE Alder Street, between 82nd and 84th Avenues, has no curbs or sidewalks. It also features gravel parking lanes in some areas. This street’s pavement is in poor condition between the patched area and SE 86th Avenue, with asphalt only placed at the center of the road’s surface. Gravel fills the remaining distance to the curb, where one exists.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) identified this 36-foot-wide segment of SE Alder Street for repair due to its heavy use and deteriorating condition. In addition to commuters and residents using this street, two used car lots have driveway access from the under-improved road. “SE Alder Street between 82nd and 83rd avenues is an area where we have seen repeated potholes, so we are fixing it with a larger, more durable repair. This will include some replacement of the pavement surface. It will also include some work to repair or replace the base layer underneath the pavement surface, as needed, to make the new surface more durable,” explained PBOT representative Dylan Rivera.
PBOT crews used 100 tons of new asphalt in this project, focusing on the most damaged area and keeping the total cost under $20,000. Rebuilding the road would have cost substantially more. “Adding curbs or sidewalks would require significant planning, engineering design, and construction cost. A capital project like that is orders of magnitude more expensive, often costing millions of dollars for projects that cover multiple blocks at a time,” remarked Rivera. Funding for that scale of work needs to come from new sources, as PBOT has a maintenance backlog that would cost billions to complete.
On this year’s ballot, voters will have the choice to renew a third round of the Fixing Our Streets Program, extending the city’s 10-cent gas tax for another four years. Since 2016, this program has generated funding for basic transportation safety and maintenance services that improved streets and sidewalks across the city. Montavilla has seen recent benefits from the 70s Neighborhood Greenway capital improvement project, which is currently wrapping up construction. PBOT is facing a $32 million budget shortfall this year. If not addressed by the City Council before the fiscal year starts July 1st, bureau administrators will need to cut some maintenance and capital projects.
Drivers can already make use of the newly repaired pavement. PBOT has plans to repave more of SE Alder Street, but that work is for one block west of SE 82nd Avenue, and they have not determined a start date for that project. More improvements to this area could come via funding for the Building a Better 82nd initiative that will address safety and maintenance concerns along Portland’s seven-mile stretch of the road.
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group
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