In February, crews working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began constructing new sidewalks on SE Mill Street east of SE 82nd Avenue. Mill Street lacks curbs or dedicated pedestrian walkways from SE 82nd to 89th Avenues. This project will add over 200 feet of sidewalk on both sides of a street used as a bike greenway and a safe route to school near its busiest intersection. Expanding the new sidewalk further eastward beyond the worksite poses challenges due to mature trees that line SE Mill Street’s residential segment and will need to wait for future infrastructure enhancements.

The new sidewalks will feature tree wells, allowing for street trees on both sides of the roadway. PBOT is acquiring additional right of way to create wide sidewalks for this project on SE Mill. Multnomah County donated the right of way to the City for sidewalk construction on the south side of Mill. Additionally, designs for a temporary shelter at the Multnomah County-owned 1818 SE 82nd Avenue property show a green buffer strip between the sidewalk and the future privacy fence along SE Mill Street. Based on that project’s final landscaping plan, this space could contain trees or plants.

The sidewalk addition is part of the PBOT-led Building a Better 82nd initiative, driving modernization projects along the former Oregon State Highway. The sidewalk’s eastward extension from SE 82nd Avenue will support better business access through defined curb cuts at driveways and let pedestrians safely navigate the street past busier segments. Lane closures on SE Mill Street will occur as crews continue their work in the area. Drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists should use caution traveling through the work site and follow detour signs and crew instructions.

Update: Cement masons completed the south sidewalk segment leaving one unfinished section around a utility pole.

Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated that the sidewalks were limited in width and would not feature space for street trees. Montavilla News Regrets this error. PBOT is acquiring additional right of way to widen sidewalks and plant trees on SE Mill as a part of the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance project.