On August 25th, crews with Specialized Pavement Marking (SPM) removed lane markings on SE Thorburn, Stark, and Washington Streets as part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) reconfiguration of the roads for safer bike and pedestrian use. When road stripers repaint the streets, drivers on SE Thorburn and Washington Streets lose a lane of travel in each direction, and cyclists will gain bike lanes with protection in most places from SE Gilham Avenue to SE 92nd Avenue. PBOT will retain much of the existing street parking on both sides of SE Washington Street for a critical two-block segment. The road striping plan will replace removed curbside parking on SE Washington with bike-lane-adjacent parking from SE 76th to 80th Avenues to create a protected buffer for the five-foot-wide curbside cyclist route. Driving lane reductions on SE Thorburn Street and parts of SE Gilham Avenue will create space for a painted bike lane on the northwest traveling side of the road and a raised concrete traffic separator-protected bike lane on the southeast traveling side, with space for an on-pavement pedestrian track where missing sidewalks have previously challenged pedestrian access.

This work is part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project. The SPM crews will add over 20 marked parking spaces on SE Washington Street, replacing the southernmost travel lane. The recrated parking capacity offers slightly fewer stalls than the removed spaces. Still, it is a significant benefit for area businesses and residents living in housing on that street who do not have on-site parking options. Its design also offers cyclists a physical buffer between fast-moving downhill traffic. The project will likewise reconfigure SE Stark Street west of SE 76th Avenue. The existing bike lane will extend west, replacing curbside parking with some adjacent spaces created between the travel lane and the bike path. A new traffic signal planned for a later phase in this project will aid cyclists turning south at SE 76th and Stark, and the southernmost lane of SE Stark Street will transition into a left-turn-only lane at the signal.

SE Washington Street Bike lanes east of SE 80th Avenue will use a mix of concrete traffic separator-protected bike lane cycling infrastructure and shared bus-bike lanes up to SE 92nd Avenue. Striping plans show TriMet bus drivers will have a consistent bus lane from SE 80th Avenue past SE 90th Avenue, with motorists having right-turn-only access to that bus lane at intersections. PBOT recently enhanced the crossings of SE Washington and Stark Streets at SE 84th Avenue for north-south traveling pedestrians. On SE Washington Street, new corners offer Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps, curb extensions on the north side have shortened the crossing distance, and new pavement markings underway will add high-visibility crosswalks.

Drivers can anticipate disruptions to travel on SE Thorburn, Stark, and Washington Streets during the project work times of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week. People should anticipate seeing changes to traffic patterns and look for new signage indicating where parking is permitted. Motorists and pedestrians need to observe worker instructions and follow temporary routes when necessary as crews work in the street.