Tag: 82nd Ave

Infrastructure

NE Halsey Safety and Access Project Begins

At the end of July, crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) began the NE Halsey Street (68th to 92nd avenues) – Safety and Access to Transit Project, which will improve biking and walkability on NE Halsey Street. This long-anticipated project builds upon substantial street safety improvements undertaken in 2024, when roadwork reconfigured NE Halsey Street between 68th and 81st Avenues, removing a lane in each direction while adding painted buffered bike lanes and a center turn lane. Now, contractors will begin installing hard infrastructure elements designed to assist cyclists and pedestrian road users.

This project will rebuild the NE Halsey intersections at 68th and 69th Avenues, with improved bike and pedestrian crossings positioned in areas that are more visible to motorists, making it easier for people to cross. Designs presented in a 2020 survey illustrated planned changes that would rework an Interstate 84 offramp connection at this intersection to remove part of a slip lane at NE 69th Avenue and redirect exiting freeway traffic to turn onto NE Halsey Street from a perpendicular approach. With this new configuration, the eastbound bike lane can begin earlier than its current start point on NE 70th Avenue, allowing cyclists to have dedicated bike infrastructure starting just west of NE 68th Avenue.

Diagram illustrating the redesigned intersection at NE Halsey Street and NE 80th Avenue, showcasing bike lanes, crosswalks, and a roundabout for improved safety and accessibility.
2020 rendering of mini roundabout at NE Halsey and 80th Ave. Image courtesy PBOT

Crews will also install a small roundabout at NE 80th Avenue and Halsey Street to address a notoriously confusing intersection right before the east-most NE Halsey Street Bridge over I-84. Based on the 2020 draft designs, people will have access to separate high-visibility crossings for pedestrians and bikes. Rebuilt and extended corners will also shorten the crossing distance.

Map of the NE Halsey Street Safety Project showing proposed improvements like buffered bikeways, sidewalk additions, and a mini roundabout.
Project map courtesy PBOT

Starting at NE 81st Avenue, cyclists will have access to a bi-directional, buffered bike path on the south side of NE Halsey Street, extending up to NE 92nd Avenue. That bikeway will merge with another new dedicated two-way bike path on NE Jonesmore Street that connects with NE 82nd Avenue near the MAX station. PBOT plans to remove some parking spaces on the south side of NE Halsey Street to accommodate the bike route east of NE 86th Avenue. This project also aims to create new sidewalks on the north side of NE Halsey Street, between 85th and 92nd avenues, and a small section of NE 81st Avenue, on the north side as it curves to meet NE Halsey Street. That sidewalk will create a useful connector to a pedestrian path that leads to the 82nd Avenue MAX light rail and bus transit station. That pathway was temporarily closed by the city due to community safety concerns, but could reopen at a future date.

  • I-84 overpass will have two-way bike path on south side
  • Mini roundabout at NE 80th Ave, 81st Ave, and Halsey St
  • Eastbound NE Halsey St bike lane currently starting at 70th Ave
  • I-84 off-ramp slip lane onto NE Halsey St at 68th Ave
  • Closed pedestrian pathway from NE 82nd to 81st
  • Closed pedestrian pathway from NE 81st to 82nd

Contractor Interlaken Inc. will begin demolition and excavation in preparation for the installation of new sidewalks, curbs, and driveways starting in August. Work in the area will disrupt two westbound TriMet Line 77 bus stops. Stops on NE Halsey at 90th (Stop ID 2459) and 86th (Stop ID 2457) will temporarily close. TriMet asks riders to use a temporary stop 50 feet west of 86th, marked with signage attached to a “No Parking” pole. Drivers may experience temporary lane reductions. However, PBOT anticipates minimal impact on vehicle traffic. People interested in following this project can subscribe to updates on the PBOT project website. Federal funds, Transportation System Development funds, General Transportation Revenue, ODOT Bridge Program funds, and Bureau of Environmental Services funds will cover the $8,646,720 project costs.

Update August 4, 2025: Removed a 2020 PBOT rendering of NE Halsey Street and 68th Avenue that no longer reflects the current design. This article will update again when a new rendering is available.

Article and Photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Infrastructure

SE 82nd Ave Repaving for a Smoother More Stable Street

Raimore Construction, working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), will continue road reconstruction and repaving along SE 82nd Avenue between SE Mill and Harrison Streets over the next few weeks. Crews have already repaved half of the project area, creating a smooth asphalt surface for the two southbound lanes from SE Mill Street to just past SE Harrison Street. Construction markers direct motorists to share the completed section of roadway, allowing a single lane in each direction until workers complete the equivalent northbound lanes.

Construction scene on SE 82nd Avenue with road work barriers and uneven asphalt surface near Mocha Express.
Outer lane of SE 82nd Ave with hydraulic breaker hammer driven holes ahead of demolition

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. In its early stages, 82nd Avenue initially 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, 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. Crews working on this project will need to remove the outer lanes to their base layer and reengineer it to support the weight of vehicles in motion above it before repaving the whole surface. The results will provide a smoother road surface that should last longer before requiring future repairs.

Construction site featuring a yellow Komatsu excavator working near road repair barriers.
Raimore Construction crews removing the northbound SE 82nd Ave outer lanes for reconstruction

This roadwork connects to a recently completed update on 200 feet of SE Mill Street east of SE 82nd Avenue. That project constructed new sidewalks on SE Mill Street in this area, which previously lacked curbs and a dedicated pedestrian walkway. PBOT added wide sidewalks on both sides of the street, featuring tree wells for future street tree planting, which creates a safer segment for the bike greenway and a safe route to school path that runs along this street. Crews also reconstructed the road surface from the base up to replace the pothole-laden street with a new, smooth surface. However, SE Mill Street east of this site, up to 89th Avenue, still lacks curbs and sidewalks but features mature trees lining the somewhat degraded asphalt road surface.

Freshly repaved street along SE 82nd Avenue, featuring new sidewalks on the left side, parking spaces, and surrounding greenery.
SE Mill Street looking east form SE 82nd Avenue showing new sidewalks roadway

Similar to the work on SE Mill Street, PBOT contractors have added new sidewalk segments along the east side of SE 82nd Avenue from SE Division Street to a mid-block pedestrian crossing. Other sidewalk repairs in the area have improved conditions for people walking or rolling along the street’s edge. This collection of updates on the well-traveled north-south connector is part of the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project —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.

Drivers should expect delays in this area and 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 the year and into 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.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article served on the Building a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group

Food and Drink, Renovation, Restaurant

82nd Ave Wendy’s Dining Room Closed for Renovation

The operators of a Wendy’s restaurant at 232 NE 82nd Avenue have recently closed the location’s dining room for renovations, while maintaining drive-through access for customers. Upgrades underway include modifications of interior walls along with the installation of new equipment and fixtures. Exterior work involves rearranging this location’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking spaces, adding bike parking, and installing new exterior lighting mounted on poles.

Signs of construction are apparent as crews have removed one front window from the building and covered it with plywood. Guests on foot are greeted with a typewritten note on the restaurant’s door from Wendy’s management, stating that the dining room is closed for renovations. The sign provides no reopening date, but the work detailed in building permits is substantial, and it will likely take months to complete. Wendy’s placed a portable restroom trailer in the parking lot for staff to use during the interior renovations that will impact the location’s bathroom access.

A close-up view of a Wendy's restaurant door showcasing signs about renovations and job opportunities. The main sign informs customers that the dining room is closed for renovations, while other signs advertise breakfast hours and a promotion for soft drinks.
Typewritten note on the restaurant’s door from Wendy’s management that the dinning[sic] room is closed for renovations

This 1981-era dine-in and drive-through building features the brand’s classic stylings and has outgrown its current configuration. Previous remodels included the creation of an exterior detached cooler that crews demolished as part of this round of enhancements. Building permits list the planned addition of an attached cold food storage room to accommodate future kitchen capacity and replace the old detached unit. Electricians will replace lights in the dining area and soffit, in addition to installing a new menu board. Plumbers intend to relocate two toilets and one hand sink as part of the interior reconfiguration.

The Wendy’s fast food chain did not respond to requests for details regarding this remodel. However, the company has recently embraced its Global Next Gen design strategy for new and refreshed stores. This concept prioritizes higher order volume with streamlined buildings supporting increased digital orders and delivery customers. The square-patty burger maker says their modern restaurants can significantly upscale production compared to previous designs, increasing kitchen output capacity by nearly 50%. However, it is not certain that this location will embrace the new store design and may retain its classic appearance, with most renovation efforts focused on the interior and some parking lot reconfiguration.

A city map highlighting NE Everett improvements, including ADA curb ramps, wider sidewalks, and pedestrian safety measures.
Image from 82nd Avenue Glisan and Davis May 2024 Draft Design. Courtesy PBOT

Work at this location will complement the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s plans to widen the sidewalk in front of this restaurant to 12 feet, adding room for possible street trees or a planting strip in the furnishing zone between the curb and sidewalk. The pedestrian zone widening is part of the 82nd Avenue Glisan and Davis Signal Improvements project developed in 2024, with an expected groundbreaking in 2025.

Wendy's restaurant building with a sign, surrounded by landscaping and construction equipment, including a blue portable restroom and a storage container, indicating ongoing renovations.
Wendy’s south parking lot show with a trash dumpster and construction storage shipping containers

Visitors to the Wendy’s restaurant on NE 82nd Avenue should anticipate using the drive-through window during much of the ongoing construction and exercise caution when traversing the south parking lot, which serves as a staging area for construction storage and equipment.

Update July 19, 2025: As crews peel away the layers of parapet cladding for the Wendy’s restaurant, passersby can see the outlines of the chain’s past branding designs. In the 1980s, the old-fashioned hamburger company decorated the top band of its buildings with diagonally aligned siding with raised rectangular trim featuring scooped corners. Later updates featured the base painted bright yellow and the raised detail in red. Contemporary stores use flat and box-ribbed metal panels in dark colors to decorate the top section of the restaurants.

Exterior view of a Wendy's restaurant under renovation, showing construction signs and covered windows with plywood.

Update August 23, 2025: Crews installed the new front parapet cladding and modern sign. Visitors can now see the old mansard roof style next to the contemporary design.

Exterior view of a Wendy's restaurant under renovation, featuring construction equipment and a 'Now Hiring' banner.
Wendy's restaurant exterior at NE 82nd Avenue, showing renovation construction with signage indicating the dining room is closed, surrounded by caution tape and construction equipment.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Community, Food and Drink, History

Behind the Wok a Restaurant History Archive

On May 30th, APANO launched its online archive titled Behind the Wok: A Tribute to Iconic Chinese American Restaurants in Portland’s Jade District. This digital collection documents the shift in Chinese American dining toward East Portland. This online repository focuses on six restaurants that represent the phases of Portland’s Asian community’s eastward move from Old Town Chinatown. The work preserves stories from the families behind some of 82nd Avenue’s most iconic restaurants, attempting to create a record of these community cornerstones that are often missing from traditional archives.

Promotional materials for APANO's online archive, including a card reading 'Behind the Wok: Honoring Chinese American Restaurants in Jade District,' coasters, buttons, and a matchbook featuring iconic restaurant illustrations.
Behind the Wok promotional items including tote bag, matches, pins, and coaster

The inaugural cohort of restaurants includes Hung Far Low, Canton Grill, Chinese Village, New Cathay, Legin, and Wong’s King. However, the project aims to expand the digital archive over time, documenting the history of these foundational restaurants and their enduring cultural impact on the East Portland Chinese American community. The early evening launch party included several family representatives who came of age in and around the restaurants preserved in the archive. Their recollection and photos of these gathering places represent some of the only records of what they symbolized to the region beyond their decades of food service.

Aerial view of a neighborhood layout with labeled blocks and streets in East Portland, highlighting areas for development and existing infrastructure.
Guide map, copyright 1933 by Terry Tebault Inc. with Behind the Wok notations Courtesy APANO

Conversations following the presentation continued to reveal more history and a deeper understanding of the role these Chinese American staples represented for the community, supporting the need for such an archive. Without the historical seedwork released last month, these accounts would fade, and other untold stories would remain unknown to a community built on that history. The group working on Behind the Wok noted how difficult it was to obtain information, partially because news articles often failed to document changes that impacted this community and how people’s cultural humility kept them from lauding their accomplishments. However, in terms of storytelling and praising others, participants and attendees expanded the group’s understanding of their shared history.

A hand holding a commemorative button for the Behind the Wok Digital Archive Launch on May 30, 2025, featuring an illustration and the event name.
Behind the Wok promotional pin commemorating the launch date

That night’s brief open conversation revealed how many more details could end up in the digital archive. APANO is working to preserve the memory of the Chinese American restaurant as a community meeting place and support system for immigrants settling in Portland. The nonprofit purchased the Canton Grill property in 2022 for future housing development and named one of its other housing projects after Legin restaurant as a way to enshrine those shuttered establishments in the community’s consciousness. The project team invites people to visit the Behind the Wok digital archive regularly for in-depth information about their contributions to East Portland. APANO will host a celebration of the Canton Grill on June 27th from 4 to 9 p.m. at 8188 SE Division Street. That event will focus on the Canton Grill Memorial Project and further inform the cultural preservation efforts.

Article and photo’s by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: Attendees of this event, including the author, received free food and promotional items related to the project.

Community, Entertainment, Event

The 2025 82nd Ave Parade in 34 Photos

On April 26th, marchers held the 19th annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade from Eastport Plaza Shopping Center to SE Clinton Street. The precession featured community groups, businesses, elected officials, dancing horses, youth performers, and the diverse cultural flavors that fill 82nd Avenue and East Portland.

The shorter parade drew significant crowds along its one-mile route, closing the busy roadway for a few hours on Saturday morning. Overcast skies kept the temperatures cool, but the streets remained dry for the event, which organizers say has never been rained out in its nearly two-decade run.

With the 2025 parade completed, the 82 Roses Community Enrichment Coalition members will start working on next year’s event, which they expect will feature more participants and heightened production elements during the 20-year celebration.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Construction, Infrastructure, Transportation

Fubonn’s SE 85th Entrance Creating Connections

During peak times, traffic accessing the Fubonn Shopping Center at 2850 SE 82nd Avenue can snarl the signalized intersection leading to its parking lot. Until recently, this was the only vehicle access to the 7.49-acre property. Over the last four years, the retail complex owners have looked for solutions to improve access for shoppers traveling to the popular destination by car, bike, and on foot. Those efforts have focused on adding another commercial driveway to the back of the property leading onto SE 85th Avenue. Concerns about letting commercial traffic onto a primarily residential street and bike route without consistent sidewalks have delayed those plans. However, infrastructure changes to SE 85th Avenue underway make eastern site access more appealing, and the community located east of SE 82nd Avenue will gain new sidewalks with easy access to a local grocery store and shops.

Construction workers installing infrastructure for a new driveway at Fubonn Shopping Center, with machinery and equipment visible in the background.
SE 85th Ave Fubonn entrance construction

Contractors completed construction on a secondary driveway in April, creating access to the east side of Fubonn Shopping Center from SE 85th Avenue. Designers located the new entrance on the northeastern corner of the expansive shopping complex. Crews removed a tree and heavy vegetation that blocked the rear approach to the property. Up to this point, people accessing the site from the east could only walk onto the property via a hard-to-find pedestrian entrance. Visiting Fubonn from SE 85th Avenue was made more difficult for pedestrians because of the lack of sidewalks in the area. That will change in the coming year thanks to the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project, which will create sidewalks from SE Division Street to SE Powell Boulevard along SE 85th Avenue, with roadway repaving between SE Clinton and Brooklyn Streets. Crews working on this project anticipate starting work in spring and will also add new sidewalks on SE Clinton Street from SE 84th to 87th Avenues.

Newly constructed entrance to Fubonn Shopping Center from SE 85th Avenue, featuring freshly paved access road, traffic cones, and surrounding greenery.
SE 85th Ave Fubonn entrance completed

The improved street infrastructure will assist people in safely driving, walking, or rolling to their destinations. The new eastern entrance at Fubonn will likely be a key destination for area residents and people trying to avoid congestion along SE 82nd Avenue. Several community members have expressed excitement for the calmer entrance to the local destination. “We’re really happy that we can now access all of the shopping and restaurants inside of Fubonn without having to walk along 82nd,” explained area resident Stephen Udycz. He acknowledges that some of his neighbors are apprehensive about increased traffic on the residential street but expects that sidewalks and a redirected bicycle Greenway will address those worries. In listening to community concerns, engineers of this project examined alternative Fubonn site access from the north streets that dead-end against the property. However, those streets are insufficient for through traffic and sit above grade to the parking lot surface, meaning roadcrews would need to build ramps or regrade the street for entry from the north of the property. Those costly and disruptive changes make alternative secondary access points unfeasible, leaving only the SE 85th Avenue option viable.

Aerial view of the Fubonn Shopping Center showing the new eastern entrance from SE 85th Avenue, along with nearby SE Taggart and SE Woodward streets.
Image from PBOT’s 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes Draft Final Concept Design – May 2024

Crews constructed Fubonn’s new eastern entrance under temporary approval to help maintain business access during planned construction along its SE 82nd Avenue frontage. The 82nd Avenue Critical Fixes: Major Maintenance Project includes signal reconstruction at SE Woodward Street and 82nd Avenue with corner reconstruction featuring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps. Crews will also install a traffic separator and median island south of the intersection to create predictable left turns and plant trees mid-street, cooling the temperature along the roadway. In preparation for this work, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) removed sidewalk-planted street trees that the city says would not survive construction planned in the work zone. A month ago, workers fell six trees along Fubonn’s frontage, clearing the way for sidewalk repair and other planned road work. This construction will likely impact access to the shopping center at several points during the project, requiring the new alternate access from SE 85th Avenue to keep the shopping center operational.

Architectural plan of the new driveway entrance for Fubonn Shopping Center from SE 85th Avenue, featuring parking layout and pedestrian access routes.
Site map from LU 24-038007 showing driveway on at northeast corner and new pedestrian pathway

The owners of Fubonn intend to make the SE 85th Avenue driveway permanent with the city’s approval. Traffic Engineers with Mackenzie Inc. conducted road usage studies and concluded that the added traffic volume from a new entrance would be under the threshold for a local access street. The city’s planned relocation of the Neighborhood Greenway from SE 85th Avenue to SE 87th Avenue in this area should also lessen traffic’s impact from the site’s new entrance. The scheduled addition of continuous sidewalks on SE 85th from SE Division Street to SE Powell Boulevard will help insulate pedestrians from increased traffic traveling to the Fubonn shopping center and allow residents not traveling by car to have more ways to move east-west in an area during business hours. Preliminary proposals for eastern access to the property will also help facilitate foot traffic. Those plans show a new pedestrian pathway from the yet-to-be-created sidewalk that lets people walk a marked and protected pathway to the eastern entrance of the building through the parking lot.

View of a street along SE 85th Avenue showing a recently cut tree stump, a vehicle in traffic, and an electrical box on the sidewalk.
April 4, 2025, SE 82nd Ave Trees freshly felled in front of Fubonn

The Fubonn Shopping Center has long needed a second entrance based on its size and site orientation. Its front entrance is often crowded with cars trying to find a parking space, while the back lot remains underutilized. It also should connect the residents east of the center with a walkable resource for fresh food and other services. Residents along SE 82nd Avenue could see sidewalk construction in the coming months, and visitors to Fubonn can now use the new vehicular entrance during shopping center hours. Drivers should use caution in the area as pedestrians and cyclists must share the road until cement masons create new sidewalks and safety infrastructure.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Montavilla

Sober Shelter Plans for 82nd Ave

At an April 17th community meeting, project planners announced that Do Good Multnomah will open a clean and sober sleeping pod shelter in the Multnomah County-owned property at 1818 SE 82nd Avenue. The 38 single-occupancy shed-style shelters will support people recovering from substance use disorder in an environment where residents and staff receive routine urine testing for compliance with the site’s drug and alcohol-free requirements. Six converted shipping container units will provide office space for staff, participant services, hygiene facilities, kitchenette amenities, and laundry facilities so the recently unhoused residents can focus on the first steps to finding stable housing.

Nicole Jackson from the Montavilla headquartered nonprofit Do Good Multnomah spoke to the meeting attendees about the plans for the site along SE Mill Street, located between two Portland Public Schools. She explained that they would screen residents before placing them at this shelter to verify sobriety and exclude applicants with sexual offender convictions. Although this site is not low-barrier like the Oak Street Village shelter down the street at 333 SE 82nd Avenue, it still removes obstacles for people transitioning into shelters. The primary difference between most other sleeping pod communities in Portland and this location is its sober requirement and that units are limited to one occupant. Jackson said the group hopes to support residents for around 90 days before finding them sober housing or other placement on the road to stable housing. However, she noted that recovery can sometimes include relapsing. If that happens, residents are not permitted to stay but can transfer to another location until they are ready to return to the program.

Feb 2025 Design – courtesy JOHS

As a safe location for people to recover from addiction, Jackson explained that it is essential for the other residents to follow the rules and not jeopardize others’ recovery efforts with their choices. She said that people they work with have requested a sober shelter option for years, noting it is hard to control an addiction while others around you are using. The site has a single entry and exit point for residents; staff search bags and request people empty pockets on reentry. Three staff will work onsite 24 hours a day, every day. Do Good Multnomah intends to have one of those team positions staffed each shift by a trained peer support person, helping people with recovery challenges from a position of personal experience.

In June or July, Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) –soon to change names to Homeless Services Department (HSD)– intends to begin work on a Good Neighbor Agreement with the Montavilla Neighborhood Association and the 82nd Avenue Business Association among other stakeholders to determine responsibilities and communication practices around the operation of the site. Do Good Multnomah is currently working on finalizing its site rules but noted they have years of experience running these types of shelters to make them safe for residents and the surrounding community. For instance, Nicole Jackson said that all dogs living in the shelter with their owners must be leashed at all times when answering a meeting attendee’s concerns about loose and aggressive dogs. She also explained that they will implement a quiet hours policy from 9 or 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

1818 SE 82n Avenue seen from SE Mill Street with new sidewalk

At the meeting, some residents expressed concern about the lack of parking for residents at the site. Jackson said she anticipates few people living in the shelter will have cars. Staff have onsite parking, and any residents needing to park will need to use street parking, but Do Good Multnomah will make sure they are parked legally in the neighborhood. Others had concerns about camping around the site. JOHS staff at the meeting said that the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) could include an enhanced services Engagement Zone like the Oak Street Village GNA, where City service providers resolve issues with the highest priority allowed by law to clear the zone around the shelter site.

Work on 1818 SE 82nd Avenue has not yet begun. Demolition crews will remove the existing building before other workers install electrical and plumbing underground for the temporary structures. The site will receive new chainlink fencing around the perimeter with plastic privacy slats. On the east edge of the property, crews will build a seven-foot-tall cedar fence set in several feet from the property line to provide extra buffer between the shelter site and an adjacent residential property. The team will construct a new fence line set back five feet from the sidewalk on SE Mill Street to allow a green zone of trees and plantings. The JOHS anticipates residents could move in by November or December 2025.

Article and Photo by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: The author of this article servers on the 82nd Avenue Business Association’s board.

Infrastructure, Transportation

FX Transit on 82nd Apr 23 Open House

This month, TriMet will host an open house focused on bus priority concepts for the 82nd Avenue Transit Project. The April 23rd in-person event follows a previous TriMet gathering on January 22nd that centered on general project goals and bus stop consolidation. As part of the open house, organizers have also posted an online survey seeking input on outer lane usage along 82nd Avenue for bus travel and right-turning motorists. Beyond those questions regarding where project designers should implement Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes, the survey looks at high-level cost tradeoffs associated with those additions to speed up transit times for riders. TriMet also asks respondents about intersection widening at high traffic junctions, which could significantly expand project costs with land acquisition expenses but provide higher capacity for motorists and the planned FX Bus Rapid Transit system.

Since TriMet began work to extend its FX (Frequent Express) transit option along 82nd Avenue, Portlanders have wanted to know more about the potential conversion of outer travel lanes on 82nd Avenue into bus lanes. This reconfiguration would leave one travel lane in each direction with a center turn lane in some areas. Motorists would still have access to the outer bus lanes to turn right into parking lots or onto cross streets. People exiting a business’s parking lot could also turn right onto the BAT lane so they could merge with traffic at a matched speed. TriMet has two proposed deployments for BAT lanes on Portland’s seven-mile segment of 82nd Avenue. One option is to create those dedicated lanes in both directions at the northern and southern sections. They generally extend between NE Lombard and NE Tillamook Streets at the north end and SE Foster Road to SE Clatsop Street in the south. Another proposal would build BAT lanes on both sides of the street from NE Lombard to SE Clatsop Streets.

Traffic flow specialists working with TriMet have looked at the proposals and estimated how each option would improve bus travel times and slow car travel time. In both scenarios, the numbers for each metric only change by up to five minutes. However, that assumes a percentage of 82nd Avenue traffic diverts to other parallel routes like Interstate 205. Adding BAT lanes is not the only tool TriMet plans to implement for fast service on this transit line. TriMet leaders expect the 82nd Avenue Transit Project to speed up bus trips on the former 72 bus line by up to 20% through features already seen on the FX 2 line along SE Division Street. These include consolidating existing stops, bus platforms with near-level boarding at all three doors of longer busses, and eliminating delays caused by cyclists loading bikes onto the front of the bus due to internal bike space within the new vehicle. Transit-signal priority, allowing buses and signals to communicate for better intersection efficiency, offers another highly impactful design, reducing delays during congested travel times.

The survey contains specific details for anyone interested in this part of the 82nd Avenue Transit Project. TriMet staff will present more information at the April 23rd in-person Open House hosted by Portland Community College’s Southeast campus. The event will occur in the Great Hall of the Mount Tabor Building at 2305 SE 82nd Avenue from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The online survey will remain open through 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27th.

Article and phots by

Jacob Loeb

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

Map graphics courtesy TriMet

Community, Event

82nd Ave Parade Apr 26 with Shorter Route

The 19th annual 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade returns this year on April 26th from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., featuring many returning and several new participants. The event organizers will scale back the route this year, ending just short of Montavilla at SE Clinton Street. This change helps shorten the marching distance for people walking in the parade and reduces the operational complications of crossing SE Division Street.

The volunteer-led organization, 82 Roses Community Enrichment Coalition, produces the parade each year, having taken over the operation from the 82nd Avenue Business Association. Traditionally, the parade starts from the Eastport Plaza Shopping Center and ends on SE Yamhill Street. This year, the procession will start from SE Bush Street along the northern frontage of the Eastport retail complex and march less than half the previous distance north, ending right before SE Division Street. People can gather along the SE 82nd Avenue parade route for a view of the marchers and procession vehicles. However, with the parade no longer ending at SE Yamhill Street, Montavilla spectators will need to walk south past Portland Community College’s Southeast campus to watch the various groups walk, dance, or drive down the road. This change will upend planned street parties and traditional post-parade events for some people along the discontinued route. Parade organizer Nancy Chapin explained that it was a hard choice for the group to shorten the route. She appreciated the support of SE Yamhill residents over nearly two decades, but after three years of participants requesting a shortened parade, she had to make the change. She said youth marching bands and some older walkers found the length prohibitively long. Also, attendance along SE 82nd Avenue north of Division Street was substantially less than other segments.

Ken Turner started work on parade planning in 2006 when he served as the Eastport Plaza Manager and 82nd Avenue Business Association President. In 2007, the first event marched along its route and quickly grew into a significant community event over the following years. It has been 19 years since the first event; however, they have had to skip the tradition four times during its run. Planned protests and threats to safety caused organizers to cancel the parade in 2017. Leaders halted the in-person event during the pandemic, taking the parade online for 2022. The traditional parade returned in 2023 to a crowd ready to see its revival. Volunteers bringing this East Portland event to fruition believe the parade shows appreciation for the diverse population that defines 82nd Avenue by celebrating the community’s art, music, and dance.

Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards and State Representative Thuy Tran in 2024

The 2007 founding parade committee will be the Grand Marshal of this year’s event. Some featured participants include The Lee’s Association Dragon and Lion Dance, the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers, elected officials, schools, and community groups. People will see Friesian Horses, classic military vehicles, and other interesting automobiles transporting participants. This year the Impalas Car Club Portland Chapter will hold its parade day show in Clackamas County, hosted by Krispy Kreme at 9950 SE 82nd Avenue, starting at noon.

According to Chapin, the new short route will likely continue into future years. People looking for a front-row seat can volunteer as parade traffic monitors. One or two volunteers control every crossing along the 82nd Avenue route, and staff coordinators still need people. Volunteers can complete a form at 82rosescec.com.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Disclosure: This article’s author serves on the 82nd Avenue Business Association board with Nancy Chapin, who organizes the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade with members of 82 Roses Community Enrichment Coalition.

Infrastructure

Protected Pedestrian SE 82nd at Ash Crossing

After a year of construction, pedestrians can now use the rectangular rapid-flashing beacon (RRFB) signal hardware at Ash Street to cross SE 82nd Avenue. Crews working with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) completely rebuilt this intersection, creating an extended median island to prevent left turns and provide pedestrians with safer crossing infrastructure that features five street trees and other plantings.

This center median is one of several under construction along 82nd Avenue. It replaced a substantially smaller pedestrian refuge island that once protected the southern crosswalk at the intersection. The addition of the RRFB infrastructure at this juncture creates another safe crossing point between the fully signalized intersections on SE 82nd Avenue at Burnside and SE Stark Streets, halving the 1,200-foot distance between the two lights for pedestrians. This street segment is a growing section of Montavilla with retail activity on both sides of the high-traffic corridor. In the coming years, The Episcopal Church in Western Oregon (ECWO) owned property at 247 SE 82nd Avenue will host affordable housing, and the owner of a vacant property on the southeast corner has the parcel ready for redevelopment.

PBOT’s approach to the mid-street medians on 82nd Avenue reflects a substantial aesthetic design change. In addition to using less concrete in its construction through the creation of large planting beds, cement masons finished large portions of the raised surface with a redbrick pattern. The visually appealing process maintains the durability of standard street element design while softening the typically utilitarian road feature. Although disrupting the traffic flow and removing a center turn lane, these raised median segments do not extend far beyond the intersection, allowing for continued business access by drivers in both directions with only minimal adjustments.

This intersection is fully functional with high-visibility crosswalks and push-button-operated RRFB signals. Within a few years, the City maintained trees should mature into temperature-cooling features that visually separate a wide roadway. People crossing here will have a more predictable traffic pattern as drivers can only travel straight through on SE 82nd Avenue or turn right. Motorists should expect to see more pedestrians in the area and look for the amber flashing lights to indicate they must yield to people crossing.

Article and phots by

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Montavilla News is supported by contributions from businesses like Storied Vintage, a furniture restoration and sales shop at 7850 SE Stark Street. We thank them for their support.