Category: Infrastructure

Construction, Infrastructure

NE Glisan Repaving Starts Aug 19th

Road crews will begin repaving NE Glisan Street between NE 82nd and NE 92nd avenues on Wednesday, August 19th. The approximately two-lane-miles of resurfacing work will take an estimated twelve business days to complete as heavy equipment grinds off the damaged top layer of asphalt and lays down a fresh mixture of crushed stone and bitumen. The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) re-striping plans will create a paint-buffered bike lane next to a single travel lane in each direction and recreate the center turn lane. Cement masons will add two new pedestrian crossing islands along the busy High Crash Street, with an existing crossing at NE 87th Avenue updated to prevent some left turns while better protecting pedestrians and cyclists.

A traffic sign indicating a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists, suspended from a pole, with overcast sky and tree branches in the background.
Existing RRFB on NE Glisan St at 87th Ave

This Fixing Our Streets-funded project included substantial updates to sidewalk corner curb ramps, bringing crossings in this area up to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- compliant standards. Starting in May, Crews working with Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) installed modern stormwater management sump drains under NE Glisan Street at the intersections of NE 91st and 92nd Avenues. In addition to creating a smoother driving surface for vehicles, this new phase of work will reconfigure the street to remove time-shifting outer lanes used for parking or as an auxiliary travel lane. Collisions occurred on this street where motorists parked cars during allotted times, but drivers may have assumed the outer lane was clear. PBOT engineers anticipate that removing that conflict point will yield significant safety improvements with minimal impact on vehicle throughput.

Project map courtesy PBOT

The new NE Glisan bike lanes will add a connection between NE 81st Avenue and NE 93rd Avenue. Early concepts for the cycling infrastructure showed the bike lane extending west to NE 80th. However, area business concerns over losing frequently used street parking on that block prompted a design that still helps people riding outside a car cross NE 82nd Avenue to meet up with side-street bike routes while minimizing impacts to adjacent commercial property users. PBOT planners anticipate further improving the bike infrastructure in 2030 with hardscape concrete dividers and flex posts to protect cyclists riding next to cars. The reconfiguration is happening during this repaving project to save money. Otherwise, contractors would need to grind off existing street markers and repaint as part of the 2030 work.

Aerial map showing a new marked crosswalk with a median refuge island at the intersection of Glisan St and 84th Ave.
NE Glisan Paving and Safety Project 30% Design Concept illustration of NE 84th Ave. Courtesy PBOT

NE Glisan Street, from Interstate 205 to 82nd Avenue, is a notoriously challenging roadway to cross with vehicles driving quickly between the two points. Without any fully signalized intersections on this stretch and with a large hill blocking visibility, it can take an extended period to find a safe break in traffic to cross. In 2021, PBOT lowered the speed limit to 30 mph, but that still did not significantly improve crossing safety for people inside or outside a vehicle. The two new pedestrian crossings with concrete median islands at NE 84th and 90th avenues should help pedestrians cross in two phases, where they can focus on one direction of traffic at a time, and drivers can better see a person waiting at the high-visibility infrastructure.

Aerial view of a road intersection showing a newly marked crosswalk with a median refuge island, labeled with street names 90th Ave and 91st Ave.
NE Glisan Paving and Safety Project 30% Design Concept illustration of NE 90th Ave. Courtesy PBOT

The NE 87th Avenue crossing already features street-adjacent buttons that activate Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) to signal to drivers that bikes or pedestrians will cross soon. The updates will extend an existing concrete median island east with cutouts for cyclists crossing. This extended mid-street infrastructure will prevent northbound and westbound drivers from turning left at this intersection.

Map showing NE 87th Avenue at Glisan Street with no left turn signs, indicating prohibited left turns for northbound and westbound drivers, and enhancements for a flashing-beacon neighborhood greenway crossing.
Updated median at NE 87th Ave with left turns prohibited for north and west automotive travel. Courtesy PBOT

PBOT notes that paving and painting work is weather-dependent, so that project work dates may change. Drivers can expect rougher roads during the grinding and resurfacing process and should anticipate traffic delays with detours from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with some weekend work. Parking on NE Glisan in the project area will end a few days before work begins, but pedestrian access will remain open. Anyone traveling through the worksite should follow all traffic control signs and flaggers and use heightened caution.

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Construction, Infrastructure

NE Halsey I-84 Onramp Detoured Aug 11-12

On Tuesday, August 11, and Wednesday, August 12, road crews will close the Interstate-84 Entrance and Eastbound traffic on the overpass above NE 82nd Ave and I-84 for microsurfacing work. Contractors working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will apply a fast‑curing asphalt treatment to the road surface, filling minor ruts and improving the pavement’s condition. During the application process, motorists will need to use temporary detours.

Map diagram showing the intersection and surrounding streets of NE Halsey St, including NE 60th Ave and NE Hoyt St, with red arrows indicating road directions and blue arrows representing turns.
Portland Maps image with MV News notation of detour routes. Red for I-84 Westbound and blue for eastbound Halsey

PBOT recommends eastbound drivers on NE Halsey use NE 81st Avenue at the Halsey Street roundabout, then turn onto NE Wasco Street. Next, people can use northbound NE 82nd Avenue to then turn onto NE Jonesmore Street, which reconnects with NE Halsey. Travelers intending to use I‑84 westbound should continue west on NE Halsey, turning south onto NE 60th Avenue, then take a right at NE Glisan Street to access the I‑84 westbound on‑ramp at NE 59th Avenue. Contractors will keep the I‑84 on‑ramp open during peak travel hours, but drivers should be prepared to use the detour if directed to by the onsite crew or signage.

View of a street with a bright green bike lane, traffic cones line the edge, and a construction sign indicating a temporary road condition.
New two‑way protected bike infrastructure on NE Halsey St

The two-day project work is just one phase of the overpass updates needed to complete this leg of improvements. Future installation of protective fencing over the bridge, striping of a new two-way bike facility over the bridge, and vertical separation of the two-way bike lane are tentatively anticipated in October 2026. That work will also require temporary lane closures. This activity is part of the NE Halsey Street (80th to 92nd Avenues) – Safety and Access to Transit Project, which aims to improve safety for those traveling outside of cars along this busy High Crash street. The new two‑way protected bike infrastructure on NE Halsey provides a continuous connection from the new mini-roundabout at NE 81st Avenue to NE 92nd Avenue. This upgrade links cyclists directly to existing bike infrastructure and creates new sidewalks for people walking to the NE 82nd Avenue MAX station from the business corridor and nearby residential neighborhoods.

Work schedules are subject to change. PBOT will update reader boards positioned along NE Halsey Street and the project website with the latest schedule information.

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Infrastructure

Four Weeks of Groundwater Blending Tests

On Tuesday, August 4th, Portland Water Bureau began adding groundwater from the Columbia South Shore Well Field to the city’s Bull Run-sourced drinking water. Officials are making this change to test well equipment ahead of a likely seasonal need to supplement the water supply. Repeated activations, lasting around 10 hours, ensure crews can repair any deficient equipment before lowering reservoir levels or an emergency triggers a demand for well water. The Bureau says the mixed water can take up to two weeks to work its way through the distribution system, and they will update the public through the media and email when the system returns to 100 percent Bull Run water.

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Columbia South Shore Well Field. Courtesy Portland Water Burea

Portland uses groundwater during the drier months to supply ratepayers year-round, regardless of watershed conditions. Wellwater requires a complex system composed of pumps, chemical feed systems, and electronic controls. Because the bureau activates the alternative water source infrequently, service technicians must test equipment and the delivery network regularly to identify maintenance needs and issues. 40 million gallons of groundwater per day will enter the system on weekdays. People can expect the well water to provide between 0 and approximately 35 percent of the total daily water demand during the four-week service window.

In past years, the Portland Water Bureau blended water sources due to dry springs and early summer weather. Warmer weather patterns and increased water use have made well water a necessary component of the regional water supply. This groundwater system test helps beyond seasonal readiness. Although currently not under threat, the 2023 Camp Creek Fire in the Bull Run Watershed illustrated the need to maintain standby water sources for the Portland metro area. Beyond wildfires, stormwater runoff from heavy rains can also cause turbidity, which may justify the temporary use of well field sources. A Bull Run Filtration Project underway seeks to further protect the water source from event disruption by reducing water quality risks posed by fire, natural disasters, or potential disease-causing microorganisms. The City of Portland must begin delivering filtered water by September 30, 2029, to comply with regulatory requirements.

Close-up of the side door of a white truck featuring the 'Portland Water Bureau' logo with the tagline 'From Forest to Faucet', along with a phone number and vehicle number.
Portland Water Bureau mantanace vehicle

Even with filtration, groundwater will likely remain a core component of Portland’s water supply. Columbia South Shore Well Fields tap deep aquifers replenished year-round by rainwater. The Bureau assures residents that Portland’s groundwater supply meets or surpasses all federal and state drinking water regulations. However, the Bureau’s policy is to notify the public when activating groundwater sources so sensitive water users can take precautions. After operators revert to entirely Bull Run-sourced water, customers can expect it to take another two weeks for the lines to clear of groundwater.

Sensitive water users can sign up at the Portland Water Bureau’s website to receive notifications regarding changes to the water system. Customers with questions should call the Water Line at 503-823-7525 and watch for updates to this article when Portland’s water system returns to 100 percent Bull Run watershed-sourced water.

Update August 20, 2026: On August 21st, the Portland Water Bureau anticipates returning Portland’s supply to 100 percent Bull Run sourced water after completing the groundwater maintenance operation. It will take up to two weeks, depending on ratepayer’s location, for groundwater to completely leave the supply.

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Construction, Infrastructure

SE Division Crossing Update at 64th Ave

Crews recently prepared concrete forms in the center turn lane of SE Division Street at SE 64th Avenue. This work replaces a temporary pedestrian island installed in 2024 at a high-visibility enhanced crosswalk that connects to a Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) created paved bike path and pedestrian access way leading to Mt. Tabor Park. Cement masons will next pour concrete to create the raised protective infrastructure and construct a level pedestrian holding area at street level.

Construction site with orange traffic cones and caution tape blocking a section of the road in front of a residential building.

Pedestrian Refuge Islands are a nationally recognized tool for transportation engineers looking to assist people crossing a multilane road. It allows a pedestrian or cyclist to focus on one direction of cross traffic at a time and puts a person in a more visible space for drivers who may not notice someone waiting at the far left edge of their field of view. The in-street safety infrastructure also helps slow traffic making turns and causes passing motorists to reduce travel speed as the street narrows. Over the last few years, crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) have installed similar pedestrian islands at many locations on this street and 82nd Avenue.

Entrance to Mt. Tabor Park featuring a sign and a paved pathway bordered by trees.
Mt. Tabor Park SE Division St at SE 64th Ave paved bike path and pedestrian path near crossing

At the time of the PP&R path opening in April 2024, PBOT installed a temporary pedestrian island at SE 64th Avenue and Division Street, created from plastic delineator wands serving as a visual indicator to motorists of frequent pedestrian activity. Still, it did not provide curb-height infrastructure to further deter vehicles from driving through the space. Funding for this project comes from the Fixing Our Streets program, which allocates funds to replace temporary safety materials with permanent street elements through the Community Street Services category. This is an example of a case where temporary street safety infrastructure serves to prove a concept design and later to secure funds for a more significant investment.

Street view featuring a multi-family building with a sign reading 'Taber Way', a crosswalk, and a traffic sign indicating 'Bikes use X-Walk'. The scene includes parked cars, yellow bollards, and trees along the road under a clear blue sky.
SE Division St at SE 64th Ave crosswalk with temporary pedestrian island in 2024

People should anticipate ongoing construction in the area, which may cause brief delays. The pedestrian crosswalk is currently closed during the construction phase. Previous project work in this area reconstructed two curb ramps at the southeast corner of SE 64th Avenue and Division Street to the current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The median island work began on July 13th and will continue for another couple of weeks. People using the street should use caution and follow crew instructions.

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Construction, Infrastructure

NE Halsey Night Work Adding Color to New Two-way Bike Lane

Contractors working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began intermittent night painting on NE Halsey Street between NE Jonesmore Street and NE 92nd Avenue the week of July 13th. Crews will use a blowtorch to adhere the green and white bike lane markings needed to activate the new raised concrete protected cycling path. PBOT says drivers should not encounter changes to travel patterns or restricted driveway access during the work, and that the work will not extend through the entire night.

Recently applied green and white bike lane markings on the south side of NE Halsey St

This activity is part of the NE Halsey Street (80th to 92nd Avenues) – Safety and Access to Transit Project, which aims to improve safety for those traveling outside of cars along this busy High Crash street. Work follows the recent eastbound nighttime closure of NE Halsey Street over Interstate 84 and NE 82nd Avenue on July 8th and 9th. This week’s work will involve painting the two-way bicycle lanes on the south side of NE Halsey. Some crew activities will create noise; however, PBOT explained in its work notice that the night schedule is necessary due to daytime heat, which can warm the asphalt to a point where the paint cannot properly adhere.

The new two‑way protected bike infrastructure on NE Halsey provides a continuous connection from the new mini-roundabout at NE 81st Avenue to NE 92nd Avenue. This upgrade links cyclists directly to existing bike infrastructure and creates new sidewalks for people walking to the NE 82nd Avenue MAX station from the business corridor and nearby residential neighborhoods.

Completed new sidewalk west of 92nd Ave on the north side of NE Halsey St

People can expect this round of overnight work to conclude on July 17th. Pedestrians and cyclists traveling through the area have access to much of the new infrastructure, even as crews install markings to help drivers identify potential conflict points with other street users. Until this project is completed later this year, travelers should use heightened caution on this section of NE Halsey Street, looking for collision points and obeying construction signs or barricades.

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Construction, Infrastructure

Two Nighttime Eastbound NE Halsey Closures

Road Crews will shut down eastbound NE Halsey Street over Interstate 84 and NE 82nd Avenue from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8th, and Thursday, July 9th. At the same time, vehicles will need to detour around a closure on westbound NE Jonesmore Street between NE Halsey and 82nd Avenue. Workers will shut down a traffic signal for updates, including pavement marking specialists removing and replacing lane striping at the NE Jonesmore and Halsey Street intersection.

This activity is part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) NE Halsey Street (80th to 92nd Avenues) – Safety and Access to Transit Project, which aims to improve safety for those traveling outside a vehicle along this busy High Crash street. Work follows the recent westbound NE Halsey reopening at the new mini-roundabout near NE 80th Avenue.

Aerial map showing traffic patterns and connections at an intersection, with green arrows indicating allowed routes and red arrows indicating restricted movements.
Portland Maps image with MV News illustrations of Nighttime shutdown July 8th to 10th. Green arrowed lines indicate allowed travel durning closure while red shows prohibited paths

During overnight closures, eastbound drivers on NE Halsey Street will need to detour onto NE 81st Avenue, turn onto NE Wasco Street, then turn left onto NE 82nd Avenue. To return to NE Halsey, drivers can turn right onto NE Jonesmore Street. Westbound drivers on NE Halsey Street trying to access 82nd Avenue can cross over I-84 and then use the mini-roundabout to take the detour on NE 81st Avenue to NE Wasco Street.

PBOT provided map showing the NE Halsey

This phase of road closures will be completed on July 10th. Crews working on this project will implement future lane closures around October 2026, when Microsurfacing work to smooth the I‑84 overpass bridge pavement begins. That closure will also allow the installation of protective fencing on the overpass bridge, lane striping of a new two-way bike track over the bridge, and vertical separation of the two-way bike lane.

PBOT is scheduling this July work during the night to minimize daytime traffic impacts, and driveway access will remain open for all properties in the project area.

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Construction, Infrastructure, Transportation

NE Halsey Reopens to Bidirectional Traffic at New Mini-roundabout

In the latter half of June, road crews reopened NE Halsey Street to bidirectional automotive traffic after months of work creating a new mini-roundabout near Interstate 84 and NE 82nd Avenue. Additionally, drivers regained full use of NE 80th and NE 81st avenues at the worksite intersections. Starting on February 16th, westbound motorists on NE Halsey Street were prevented from fully crossing the I-84 overpass as cement masons created the second half of a new mini-roundabout and other contractors built additional street improvements.

Curved road with construction barriers and traffic signs indicating yield, no trucks, and bicycle lane ahead, alongside a modern building.
NE Halsey mini-roundabout approach from NE 81st Avenue.

As this work nears completion, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently scaled back plans for the NE Halsey Street Safety and Access to Transit Project, postponing a planned intersection improvement at NE 69th Avenue and removing a 150-foot section of new sidewalk and street trees from the project’s scope. PBOT says the $380,000 in cost savings is necessary to meet reduced funding for this project while still maintaining core improvement goals of filling gaps in walking and biking connections on NE Halsey Street from NE 80th to NE 92nd avenues.

Map showing the layout of a roundabout at NE Halsey Street and NE 80th Street, with an off-ramp from I-84 East and the surrounding roadways.
Rendering of NE Halsey roundabout post 2026 update to remove sidewalk section, courtesy PBOT

The newly renamed NE Halsey Street (80th to 92nd Avenues) – Safety and Access to Transit Project contains many safety improvements for people walking and biking through the area. Future work will create a dedicated bidirectional cycle path from the mini-roundabout to 92nd Avenue through a challenging section of the City’s street grid carved up by freeway construction decades ago. Work on this project could help reconnect communities cut off by car-focused street infrastructure, while reducing injuries on an identified High Crash street.

Drivers and other street users should use caution around this new infrastructure, as the adjusted traffic pattern could confuse people unfamiliar with the change. The raised concrete center circle is designed with sloped edges so that long vehicles, such as first-responder trucks or buses, can drive over it, treating it as a speed bump when necessary. Look for continued road work east of the mini-roundabout as contractor Interlaken and its subcontractors work along the length of the NE Halsey job site.

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Infrastructure, Transportation

New Sidewalks and 25 mph Speed Limits on SE Thorburn

Drivers on SE Thorburn Street merging into SE Washington Street up to I-205 will see a new 25 miles per hour (mph) speed limit. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) reduced speeds on the roadway from 30 mph in June as its contractors began work creating approximately 355 feet of new sidewalk on the north side of SE Thorburn Street, between SE 73rd Avenue and SE 74th Avenue, filling a sidewalk gap. This work follows a 2025 lane reconfiguration in the area that reduced the number of travel lanes in each direction and added improved bike and walking infrastructure.

Speed limit sign indicating 25 mph in a residential area with houses and greenery.
New 25 mph speed limit sign on SE Washington st

PBOT changes speed limits regularly to improve street user safety. The 2025 redesign made space for increased pedestrian access on both sides of the roadway and created dedicated bike lanes. The slightly reduced vehicle speeds will help those outside a motorized vehicle remain safe and lessen the injury caused by a crash. People walking or rolling on the south side of SE Thorburn Street use an on-roadway path, as the sloped topology and mature tree line of the adjacent properties make sidewalk expansion more involved. The north side of the street has some sidewalks that are narrow and curb tight—lacking a buffer space between the pedestrian zone and the raised curb.

A speed limit sign indicating 30 mph beside a road, with overgrown vegetation in the background.
SE Thorburn Street sign showing old speed of 30 mph

In a section of SE Thorburn Street where people walk through grassy, undeveloped land and gravel paths near SE 74th Avenue, contractors working for PBOT will build a 7-foot-wide sidewalk, with some sections reduced to 5 feet wide, to preserve existing street trees. During that work, cement masons will create new curb ramps at the intersection of SE 74th Avenue and reshape the sidewalk corners to make the intersection more perpendicular, which can slow turning vehicles and lessen the pedestrian crossing distance.

Aerial view of a street map showing SE Thorburn Street with new sidewalk infrastructure between SE 73rd Avenue and SE 74th Avenue, surrounded by residential areas.
Project desing imag courtesy PBOT

This work is part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project and is funded by general transportation revenue, House Bill 2017, with a budget of $371,000. Crews working in the area will periodically close one lane of vehicle traffic on SE Thorburn Street between SE 73rd and 74th avenues through June 30th. Street users should anticipate some delays and detours as construction continues in the area. Drivers should also note the new, slower speeds on these streets.

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Community, Construction, Government, Infrastructure

Montavilla Picnic Shelter Added to Budget

On May 20th, at the end of a marathon budget session, the Portland City Council approved an $8.5 billion city budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 with a $755,000 line item for a replacement Montavilla Park picnic shelter. Portland City Council Member Tiffany Koyama Lane’s amendment to the budget came back to consideration at the tail-end of the proceeding after a quick revision to specify Parks Local Option Levy money as the intended funding source. This budget addition passed seven to five at the end of an evening Council session that saw many failing amendments with 6-6 ties as city leaders addressed a $160 million revenue shortfall.

A construction site showing the partial demolition of a building, with scattered debris and a bulldozer in the foreground.
Montavilla Park picnic shelter demolition October 2021, photos by Weston Ruter

Political interest in funding a replacement picnic shelter ramped up recently; however, the community’s desire for its replacement began years before. In October 2021, demolition crews removed the aging picnic shelter at Montavilla Park and installed new grass turf rather than preparing the site for an already-designed replacement structure. Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) postponed the planned modern 2,000-square-foot open-walled replacement shelter due to a department-wide budgetary shortfall. Before its removal, the area was fenced off for safety concerns. Earlier this month, a community group began circulating a petition to build that Montavilla Park structure.

Architectural drawings of a picnic shelter, including a floor plan and elevation views from the east/west and north/south. The design features a metal roof, wood rafters, and a concrete foundation.
Proposed Montavilla Park Picnic Shelter from 2021

The petition effort, led by members of the Hope & Bread Street Church who gather in the park for Sunday service, gained community interest, with ABC Television affiliate KATU and MV News covering the campaign. On May 17th, Councilor Koyama Lane from Montavilla’s District 3 included shelter funding as part of her seven proposed budget amendments, later receiving expressed support from other elected officials, including Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards and Oregon Representative Thuy Tran.

Votes for the Montavilla Park picnic shelter did not fall strictly on Portland City Council District lines with District 3 and District 1 residents having local access to the park. District 3 Councilor Steve Novick voted against the funding due to reservations regarding project priorities, given the City staff reductions and program cuts necessary to balance this year’s budget. He expressed support for the project but worried about the potential to overlook other needed projects without an evaluation process to rank community needs. “I would love to be able to vote for this. This is important, but I think that we should make all of these decisions in the context of considering trade-offs, and parks as a huge maintenance backlog,” said Novick, preceding the vote. “I just can’t make this decision out of context. Maybe if we took a long look at all the things that communities have been promised in the maintenance backlog, this would rise to the top. But I can’t say that I’ve done that work, so I can’t support this today.”

Black and white photograph of NE 82nd Street at NE Glisan Street, featuring a mix of storefronts and residential homes, with a wet road and power lines visible.
1933 Portland Archive image. 82nd Ave roadwork looking north from NE Glisan St. A previous Montavilla park shelter is visible at the right but is not the one removed in 2021

Some petitioners supporting replacing Montavilla Park’s picnic shelter had been watching the proceedings since early afternoon and had to wait until nearly 9:30 p.m. for the session’s final budget amendment vote. The Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission will conduct a legal review of the amended budget. The council can make further adjustments to the approved budget, provided that no individual fund is adjusted by more than 10%. In June, the Portland City Council must formally adopt the budget ahead of July 1st, when the new fiscal year begins. At that point, Parks planners can begin project planning for the return of a Montavilla Park picnic shelter, restoring a nearly 100-year run of having a covered outdoor gathering space at this location.

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Portland City Council District 3 members and Representative Thuy Tran are up for reelection in November 2026. Julia Brim-Edwards is seeking the Multnomah County Chair position. Montavilla News does not endorse individual candidates or ballot measures.

Update: Portland Archive image description expanded to note that the shelter shown in 1933 photo is not the one demolished in 2021. It was removed at an unknown date.

Infrastructure

82nd Ave Repaving South of Division Begins May 18

Crews and subcontractors with Raimore Construction will begin repaving SE 82nd Avenue south of SE Division Street starting May 18th. This continues repaving work from summer 2025 as part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project. Work will focus on SE Clinton to Brooklyn streets and then continue south to SE Powell Boulevard later in the month. Road users should anticipate delays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, due to active in-street construction.

A warning sign indicating that the right lane is closed ahead, with a bright orange background and black text, placed next to a tree on a road.

This work is funded as part of the Building a Better 82nd initiative, created to address deferred maintenance issues identified after the jurisdictional transfer of 82nd Avenue from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT on June 1st, 2022. PBOT classifies 82nd Avenue’s existing pavement as severely deteriorated in the section its contractor will repave this summer, including work from SE Clinton to Bush streets, NE Thomson to Hancock, and SE Schiller Street to SE Foster Road. The road surface in these areas exhibits cracking that allows water infiltration below the surface, leading to repeated potholes and shortening the road’s lifespan. Additionally, 82nd Avenue’s past expansions decades ago created weak points that need more significant repairs.

Map showing the 2026 paving schedule for the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project, including segments with start dates and completed areas.
82nd Avenue’s 2026 Paving Schedule, courtesy PBOT

In its early stages, 82nd Avenue supported only three lanes of traffic, with one lane for vehicles traveling in each direction and a center turn lane. Transportation officials reserved the outer edges of the street for parking in many places, and engineers did not build parking pavement to the same standard as the street’s center. When transportation officials removed parking to add another travel lane in each direction, they did not update the road’s supporting base, leading to premature wear. Consequently, unlike many repaving projects that grind off the top layer of asphalt and replace it with a fresh mixture of aggregate and bitumen, this project requires more significant work in the outer lanes of the former State Highway. Crews working on this project will need to remove the outer lanes to their base layer and reengineer them to support the weight of moving vehicles before repaving the entire surface. The project calls for 13 inches of new asphalt pavement on top of the new road base, which can support freight and buses.

Infographic depicting the paving process for the 82nd Avenue major maintenance project, outlining six steps: excavate and pave, grind and pave, and construct median center islands, along with planting trees.
Northbound view of 82nd Ave, a five-lane street with two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane. Graphic courtesy PBOT.

The results will provide a smoother road surface that should last longer before requiring future repairs. It will also endure the new usage requirements proposed by the TriMet 82nd Avenue Transit Project that seeks to transform the 72 bus line into a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system under TriMet’s FX (Frequent Express) moniker. This enhanced transit service will use 60-foot articulated hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses that will serve 82nd Avenue. On February 13th, project designers were allowed to moved forward in developing 7 miles of Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes along most of Portland’s portion of 82nd Avenue. With high-capacity vehicles, modern stations, traffic signal priority, and, now, transit priority on the outer lanes of 82nd Avenue, this updated project scope will shorten travel times for BRT riders and increase capacity, but place higher demands on the outer lanes of the roadway.

Construction crew working on a road, using a milling machine to remove asphalt, with several trucks lined up for material transport.
Crews grinding down the top layer of asphalt on previous project

PBOT anticipates work continuing through July, with contractors working on the western lanes first before transitioning to the eastern lanes. Crews will start on the outside lane, then move to the inside lanes on each side. One lane in each direction will remain open during the majority of the work. The final phases of repaving will create concrete median islands with space for street trees in select areas. Landscapers will plant those trees later this fall, when rainwater can help establish healthy root growth. Financial support from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) is helping the transportation agency plant more than 175 trees along 82nd Avenue as part of the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project. Planners expect the shade from these trees will mitigate the impact of extreme heat events, which particularly raise temperatures in paved spaces.

View of a street under construction with traffic barriers and cones in place. Cars are lined up along the side of the road, and there are construction fences visible on the sidewalk.
2025 82nd Ave repaving

Drivers should expect delays in this area and always follow the crew’s instructions, as people entering and exiting adjacent businesses will require assistance to navigate the construction zone. This roadwork is just one of many PBOT projects underway, all aimed at creating a safer and more stable street. Current projects will extend throughout 2026. Funding for some of the ongoing work comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which has a deadline of December 31st, 2026, to complete the funded work.

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Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article served on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group and the 82nd Avenue Transit Project Community Advisory Committee (CAC).

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