Within the last few months, road crews working on a Gateway District street improvement project have created a new segment of NE Davis Street between NE 97th and NE 99th Avenues. This is the first phase of a Local Improvement District (LID) that will create an urban-scale street grid, sidewalks, and other roadway amenities ahead of expected redevelopment. The new street is closed to through traffic, awaiting asphalt surfacing work and construction of the remaining unfinished sidewalks.
During construction, affected roads are closed to through traffic, and users of the Interstate-205 Multi-Use Path must detour around the E Burnside Street connection. At that intersection, path users will receive an enhanced crossing at the curved MAX light-rail tracks on the east side of I-205, permitting cyclists to cross perpendicular to the rail for added safety. Transit trains turn a corner around a sound-wall at this location, making the older street aligned crossing harder for operators and riders to see conflicts. Additionally, the thin tires of bicycles can catch in the road-surface-depressions around train tracks if bikes do not cross at close to a 90-degree angle. Crews with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will also rebuild the signalized crossing of E Burnside Street at 97th Avenue that Multi-Use Path users rely on for their north-south journey. Pedestrians on E Burnside Street will additionally gain a high visibility crosswalk in alignment with the I-205 Multi-Use Path west of the freeway. PBOT will install street lighting at that crossing and along the LID area.
Work already completed on NE 97th Avenue from East Burnside Street to the new NE Davis Street segment has changed the appearance and function of the formally curbless road. Portland engineers have long planned to vacate stub sections of NE Couch and Davis Streets west of NE 97th Avenue, which were rendered useless due to Interstate-205’s construction blocking meaningful street-grid connections on that side of the street. Cement masons have now poured a new wide and continuous sidewalk on the west side of NE 97th Avenue. It features curb ramps for crossing to sidewalk corners at the new eastward NE Couch and Davis Streets.
Most new sidewalks constructed in this project area feature regularly spaced street tree wells in the furnishing zone between the pedestrian walkway and curb. This phase of the project will add 43 new street trees with two-year watering care and support from a contractor. Future phases will add 35 new street trees along the new streets, ensuring future high-density development in this area will include a growing tree canopy.
Drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists traveling through this area should use caution and expect full road closures during work hours. The I-205 Multi-Use Path is currently closed between E Burnside Street and SE Stark Street, with a detour directing people to use SE 94th. PBOT’s project site notes the I-205 Multi-Use Path will reopen no later than December 20th.
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