Starting January 13th, road crews will close E Burnside Street from 94th Avenue to 99th Avenue during evening hours. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises street users to detour around this section of E Burnside weekday nights from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Work will not occur on Saturday or Sunday nights. The closures will prevent drivers from using the Interstate-205 overpass, requiring motorists to cross the freeway at NE Glisan Street or via the SE Stark Washing Street couplet. The two-week traffic disruption will conclude on January 25th.
PBOT planned this closure to minimize disruptions as crews reconstruct E Burnside Street at 97th Avenue as part of the NE 97th Avenue Phase II and Couch/Davis Street Local Improvement District (LID). That project uses City and property owner funds to add sidewalks and create new road segments, restoring the city street grid in an area with long uninterrupted blocks and little pedestrian infrastructure. Project planners say this work will improve streets and sidewalks for existing residents while facilitating future housing growth in the Gateway area.
Crews working with PBOT will replace 50 aging railroad ties on the TriMet MAX light rail tracks that cross the E Burnside Street and 97th Avenue intersection. Closures will disrupt bus line 20 service, preventing travel in either direction between the E Burnside & NE 94th and E Burnside & SE 99th stops. Riders can walk through the construction area to the next open stop but should consult TriMet’s website for further alerts and to plan trips around the construction. I-205 Multiuse Path users can travel through this worksite. However, they should use caution and follow detour instructions as crews work to enhance the walking and rolling corridor as it passes this segment of E Burnside.
PBOT will work to maintain local access to residences and businesses during the project. People should anticipate delays and obey instructions on signs or from the crew on site. When completed, all users of the streets in the LID project area will have access to strong roads built with nine inches of asphalt over an eight-inch aggregate base and wide sidewalks with street trees. Work in this area will continue past these closures, and people are encouraged to keep aware of work in the roadway and changing traffic patterns.
