On Monday, September 8th, representatives and planners from the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) presented information on a repaving and lane reconfiguration project to the Montavilla Neighborhood Association. At the evening meeting, attendees learned about the planned NE Glisan Pave and Paint Project that will primarily take place in Summer 2026. That work will include repaving NE Glisan Street from NE 82nd to 92nd avenues, sidewalk corner reconstruction for accessibility, stormwater management improvements, and lane reconfiguration to support painted buffered-bike lanes.
PBOT planners anticipate that much of the in-road work will take place in the Summer of 2026, when crews use heavy equipment to grind down old asphalt and spread a new layer of aggregate bound with bitumen to create a smoother driving surface. Presenters explained that this planned maintenance presents an opportunity to save funds by reconfiguring the street from NE 80th to 92nd avenues during the required post-asphalt-work painting process. This stretch of NE Glisan will likely receive an Oregon Metro Regional Flexible Funds Allocation grant to add physically protected bike infrastructure sometime in 2030. The work included in the Northeast Glisan St: 82nd Avenue Multimodal Safety and Access project would require lane reconfiguration and repainting. By doing road marking work now in the new configuration, post-repaving, PBOT can save taxpayer funds by lessening the reconfiguration costs four years later.
Glisan cross section from the East Portland Arterial Streets Strategy (EPASS) report
The repainting and reconfiguration work extends west past the repaving project to connect with existing bike and pedestrian crossing infrastructure recently installed at NE 80th Avenue. This extension allows cyclists to better connect with this new pathway and creates better lane consistency on NE Glisan Street for motorists. The street west of NE 81st is a three-lane roadway with one travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane. This reconfiguration work in 2026 will extend that traffic pattern east to 92nd Avenue. PBOT planners said that NE Glisan’s usage currently dictates the updated pattern. The section of the street supports off-peak-hour curbside parking, which some vehicle owners do not use due to concerns about damage from motorist collisions. BPOT plans to remove the outer flex lane that is sometimes used for travel or parking and replace it with bike infrastructure. Initially, a double white line will create additional space between bikes traveling along the curb, as drivers pass them. Later, in 2030, hardscape concrete dividers and flex posts will add to cyclist protection.
This project will also add enhanced bike crossing protections at NE 87th Avenue, where a Neighborhood Greenway intersects NE Glisan Street. Crews will construct a raised center median, and cyclists should receive street-adjacent buttons to activate the existing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) at this crossing. After cement masons complete that work, northbound drivers on NE 87th Avenue will need to turn right at the intersection, and the infrastructure will limit left turns from westbound NE Glisan Street. Presenters at the meeting also indicated that the project would likely include new marked crosswalks at NE 84th and 90th avenues.
Although the repaving work will take place next summer, PBOT will begin work on enhanced stormwater management and updated sidewalk corners to include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps before that asphalt work takes place. Area residents will see other repaving work on NE 87th Avenue as part of another project underway, and this will connect with NE 82nd Avenue improvements planned at NE Davis and Glisan streets. Construction will begin later in 2025 and continue through summer 2026. People can subscribe to email updates or find contact information for project leaders at the PBOT project website.
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