Ongoing Lane Closures on SE 82nd Avenue for Construction

Over the next few weeks, contractors with Raimore Construction will continue in-street work along SE 82nd Avenue and repair select pavement sections, requiring lane closures north of the SE Woodward Street intersection. During construction, an alternate driveway entrance to the Fubonn Shopping Center on SE 85th Avenue will allow customers access to the retail complex.

Construction scene on SE 82nd Avenue featuring a Komatsu loader and traffic barriers near Fubonn Shopping Center.

Lane closures in this area have become more common as crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) continue building street elements as part of the Building a Better 82nd initiative’s 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project. Currently, contractors are installing traffic separators and median islands north and south of SE Division Street, along with several underground updates to support the road improvements.

A view of SE 82nd Avenue showing a minivan on the road, a recently cut tree stump on the sidewalk, and a utility box. Markings on the pavement indicate ongoing construction work in the area. — *_{Trees PBOT cut down in front of Fubonn Shopping Center making way for reconstructed sidewalks, new trees, and other upgrades.}*

During recent updates on SE 82nd Avenue at SE Woodward Street, crews cut down sidewalk-planted street trees that the city says would not survive construction planned in the work zone. The work includes corner reconstruction featuring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps, updated traffic signal hardware, new trees, reconstructed sidewalks, and refreshed high-visibility crosswalk markings. PBOT anticipates crews will complete the project by December 2026.

A future TriMet project at this intersection will also add new bus station platforms as part of the planned FX (Frequent Express) bus rapid transit project, expected to open in 2029.

Map showing SE 82nd Avenue and SE Woodward Street, with lane closures and alternate driveway to Fubonn Shopping Center indicated. — *_{Graphic from the 82nd Avenue Transit Project 15% Design Proposal, courtesy TriMet}*

Although PBOT did remove some mature trees, they intend to add 175 trees in the fall of 2026 as part of this project. Landscapers will plant trees or other plantings in sidewalk tree wells and some median islands in the center of the street. Portland’s Urban Forestry group selected drought-tolerant varieties of trees for this project that should grow to form a large canopy along the street’s edge. These include several oak varieties, Platanus acerifolia ‘Morton Circle,’ Heritage River Birch, Incense Cedar, Ginkgo ‘The President’, Ginkgo’ Magyar ‘, and Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine. A PBOT contractor will maintain the new trees for five years to ensure they are well established.

Construction worker in a safety vest operating equipment on a roadway, with traffic cone and heavy machinery in the background surrounded by trees.

The primary funding for this work comes from Federal, State, and City sources committed during the jurisdictional transfer of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT on June 1st, 2022. Drivers should use caution when traveling through work sites along 82nd Avenue. People traveling to the Fubonn Shopping Center should consider using the new entrance on SE 85th Avenue for easier access and more parking options. Planners expect construction in this area, including repaving from SE Mill to Brooklyn Streets, to continue into October.

Article and photo by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC).

Update May 23, 2025: Updated the link to the Major Maintenance Project’s Draft Final Concept Design PDF to the project webpage. Updated photo caption and article text to mention tree removal will support PBOT’s reconstruction of sidewalks, and the planting of new trees.