Starting in the middle of December, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) maintenance crews will return to the Montavilla area to grade and re-gravel unpaved residential streets as part of the City’s Gravel Street Service enacted in 2018. The program rotates crews on a three-year cycle between areas of the city, working from November through February, mostly on weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PBOT last restored the gravel streets in this area during the 2022-2023 season. However, this time, workers have one less street to service since contractors working for PBOT paved NE Everett Street from NE 76th Avenue to NE 78th Avenue, reopening the roadway and new sidewalks in September 2023.
Portland has over 50 miles of gravel streets, which the City is not obligated to maintain because they were never built to the required standards for transfer of responsibility. Those neglected streets are in poor condition but remain part of the public right-of-way. PBOT offers the service without cost to adjacent residents. This program aims to keep the street grid connected without forcing the costly paving of streets that often require property owners to contribute substantial funds to a Local Improvement District. The Fixing Our Streets program is funded by a voter-approved 10-cent-per-gallon gas tax that Portlanders renewed for an additional four years in the May 2024 election. Residents living along the unmaintained gravel roads will receive a letter informing them when road crews will start work. City staff will drop off door hangers and “No Parking” signs a few days before work begins. Parking in the work area may be limited, and traffic restrictions are often necessary.
PBOT’s Gravel Street Service crews will fill ruts and potholes or completely regrade and gravel streets to create a smoother surface. In severe cases, workers need to remove the top layer of gravel down below the potholes. Then lay and compact new gravel on the flat base just created. However, project leaders will assess each street’s need and may not place new gravel. Most segments take about two days, but could take longer depending on the length and condition of the road. Nearby residents should prepare for dust and noise at times. However, people will always have access to their homes during the project. Crews will start the 2025-2026 graveling season in the Richmond, Hosford-Abernethy, Buckman, and Sunnyside area, before moving northward to Southeast neighborhoods north of Division Street, including Montavilla.
PBOT asks residents and drivers to look for crews working in the roadway and obey instructions on signs and from flaggers while they are re-graveling. Although the project is scheduled during business hours, in some cases, they may need to do some weekend work. Despite any short-term inconvenience, the outcome is a more functional street that should hold up for another three years until crews return in 2028.
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