Update: The week of August 5th, crews with Raimore Construction placed barricades on the northern section of NE Glisan Street and 80th Avenue, blocking the roadway as they demolished the existing sidewalk corners. Over the next few weeks, workers will recreate new, wider corners with updated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant ramps. When work is complete on the first two corners, crews will move across the street to reconstruct the south side of this intersection. After completing that work, they will install pedestrian refuge islands in the center turn lane of NE Glisan Street to help people cross in two phases with safe waiting zones mid-crossing. Curb extensions on some of the reconstructed corners will shorten the crosswalk distance and narrow the roadway to encourage drivers to reduce speed.
Article originally published on March 15, 2024
At the March 12th Vestal School PTA meeting, members of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) presented draft designs for safety improvements to the NE Glisan Street crossing at NE 80th Avenue. For many years, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and other community groups have advocated for a better pedestrian crossing at this intersection. Now, transportation engineers plan to construct two raised concrete pedestrian refuge islands, extend curbs, and add marked crosswalks.
When completed, drivers will encounter new extended curbs that visually narrow the roadway and encourage more thoughtful turning. Motorists will no longer use center lanes to turn left. Instead, they will slow down in the travel lane to navigate around the refuge island’s half-moon-shaped nose before crossing opposing traffic. Extended sidewalk corners on the west crossing will shorten the distance pedestrians travel in the roadway, and two center islands in the median will provide a safer space for people waiting for drivers to yield. Two new high-visibility crosswalks on the west and east sides of the intersection will further signal that motorists should expect pedestrians to cross.
PBOT originally slated this intersection for similar improvements in early designs of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway Project. Cost-saving changes relocated the bike path to the NE 78th Avenue crossing with preexisting Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons. In the summer of 2023, PBOT applied for an Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School rapid response grant covering 80% of the $609,000 estimated project costs. State funding for the project was recently approved, letting engineers proceed with designs. The early designs presented to the PTA will go through several revisions with stakeholders before PBOT begins work. This project complements two other intersection redesigns underway on 82nd Avenue at NE Glisan and Davis Streets. These projects will collectively improve family access to the nearby school and park. Preliminary designs for NE Glisan improvements at 82nd Avenue show the five-lane street converted to one through lane in each direction with right and left turn lanes. This potential reconfiguration will remove the westbound two-lane merge near NE 80th Avenue by diverting the second lane at NE 82nd Avenue.
The Vestal School PTA attendees were overwhelmingly positive about the proposed changes. Questions for PBOT presenters mainly focused on adding protection to crossings through the use of bollards and more visible school zone identification. City staff said they would investigate those options but noted that bollards do not fit PBOT’s standard design for crossings and instead rely on plastic delineator posts. Construction could break ground on some of these enhancements in summer 2024. As design work progresses, expect to see updated information about these projects later in the year.
Update: Groundbreaking timeline updated to reflect sooner start date
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group.
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