Tag: 92nd Ave

Infrastructure, Transportation

New 25mph Limit on SE 92nd Ave

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently received permission from the Oregon Department of Transportation to lower speed limits on SE 92nd Avenue from SE Lincoln Street to SE 91st Place. In the coming months, crews will replace the 30 mph speed limit signs with 25 mph signage, signaling drivers should reduce speed. This update impacts less than a mile of SE 92nd Avenue and partially overlaps with an existing school zone that drops speed limits to 20 mph when timers activate flashing indicator lights.

PBOT Speed Limit Map of SE 92nd Ave with MV News illustrations

Southbound drivers on SE 92nd Avenue will have ample visual queues for the changed speed as PBOT upgraded the marked crossing at SE Lincoln Street in 2023 with concrete-protected bike lanes and high visibility crosswalk markings. This 25 mph section of roadway will cross SE Division Street and SE Powell Boulevard, which will retain 30 mph speed limits. Cars turning on SE 92nd from those busier streets will need to observe the reduced speed limit. PBOT is making these changes to minimize pedestrian injury near high-crash corridors and areas that would benefit from slower speeds. A pedestrian struck by a person driving a vehicle traveling 20 mph or below has a 90 percent chance of surviving a crash. However, they have less than a 50 percent chance of surviving a collision with a vehicle traveling 30 mph or above, and fatality rates rise quickly as speed increases. Reducing speed saves lives and is particularly valuable in areas where pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists cross paths.

Five other Portland streets will also receive new reduced speed limits around the same time as SE 92nd Avenue. PBOT does not directly control speed limits on many of Portland’s streets; instead, it must request permission from the Oregon Department of Transportation to change speed limits. A 2022 state law allows Oregon cities to apply for the authority to designate speed limits on roads they maintain. However, those municipalities must designate an engineer to oversee the process. A PBOT representative explained that ODOT still controls most of Portland’s speed limits.

  • SE 162nd Avenue from Stark Street to Powell Boulevard (35 to 30 mph)
  • NE Fremont Avenue from SE 102nd to 122nd avenues (30 to 25 mph)
  • SW 62nd Avenue from Taylors Ferry Road to Pomona Street (30 to 25 mph)
  • N Argyle Street/Way from Interstate Avenue to Columbia Boulevard (30 to 25 mph)
  • N Mississippi Avenue from Fremont to Cook streets (30 to 20 mph)

Speed Limits do not officially change until PBOT crews install new signs. Drivers traveling through these areas should pay attention to posted speed limits in anticipation of the update. They should remain aware of other street users to avoid the types of collisions that encouraged this speed limit reduction.

Article and pictures by

Jacob Loeb

Construction, Infrastructure

New Sidewalk Corners and Traffic Patterns on SE Yamhill

Road crews recently demolished the existing sidewalk corners along SE 92nd Avenue at SE Yamhill Street, reconstructing them with improved curb ramps. Six blocks west on Yamhill, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) workers adjusted the traffic pattern at SE 86th Avenue, changing the direction where vehicles stop. Both projects strengthen non-automotive access to area parks and schools.

Southeast corner of SE 92nd Ave and SE Yamhill St waiting for concrete

Cement masons completed work on three of the four sidewalk corners at SE Yamhill and 92nd. They all feature Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant designs with larger landing areas at the top of the new curb ramps. On the west side of SE 92nd Avenue, crews must create short retaining walls to hold back the yards where the expanded sidewalk cuts into an adjacent property. Over the last two years, crews working for PBOT have updated many sidewalk corners along SE 92nd Avenue near Berrydale Park and the connected Portland Public School campus. These updates encourage walking to the two destinations and ensure people of all abilities can use the sidewalk to get where they are going.

BPOT crews made a traffic pattern adjustment west of this intersection to SE 86th Avenue at SE Yamhill Street that supports bicyclists traveling on the Neighborhood Greenway. Previously, vehicles on SE 86th Avenue had to stop at SE Yamhill Street while people on Yamhill could continue driving. Now the two-way-stop is reversed so east/west drivers stop. This intersection control change lets bike riders continue through that intersection without slowing down. PBOT placed “New Traffic Pattern Ahead” signs around the intersection to warn drivers and marked each updated sign with bright-colored double flags to attract attention.

Recent projects on SE 86th Avenue have strengthened safety for Greenway users. A signalized crossing is under construction on this road at SE Washington Street. That update and this traffic pattern change should enhance the utility of the Greenway, particularly for families using it to travel to the nearby parks and schools. Additionally, sidewalk corner reconstruction along SE 92nd Avenue ensures that that route is accessible to all users. Expect more Greenway and corner reconstruction in this area over the next two years, leading up to the Berrydale Park Improvement Project in 2025.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Construction, Infrastructure

Corner Reconstruction Along SE 92nd Ave at Yamhill

Soon, road crews will demolish the existing sidewalk corners along SE 92nd Ave at SE Yamhill Street and reconstruct them with improved curb ramps. The current crossing infrastructure no longer complies with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) design standards and is in poor condition. Work on this project will also allow for improved stormwater management.

Over the last two years, crews working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) have updated many sidewalk corners along SE 92nd Avenue near Berrydale Park and the adjacent Portland Public School campus. PBOT prioritizes projects along school routes as those projects often receive dedicated funding, and the city’s transportation bureau must reconstruct a set number of non-ADA-compliant sidewalk corners yearly to meet the 2018 Curb Ramp Consent Decree requirements. 

As work progresses, SE 92nd Avenue will eventually become universally accessible to all pedestrians traveling from SE Stark to SE Division Street. Look for crews to begin demolition at the intersection within the next few weeks and continue work through the end of the year. Partial lane closures could be necessary as equipment operates at the road’s edge. Pedestrians may need to cross the street to avoid sidewalk detours.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

Update: This article was updated with a new link to Consent Decree information.

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Construction, Infrastructure

SE 92nd Crossing Construction at Lincoln

Road crews began work this week at SE 92nd Avenue and Lincoln Street. During this second phase of intersection enhancements, cement masons will reconstruct two sidewalk corners on the west side of SE 92nd Avenue and add 80 feet of new sidewalk on the southern edge of SE Lincoln Street. The following construction phase will create a raised concrete pedestrian island in the center of SE 92nd Avenue in alignment with a new high-visibility striped crosswalk.

Concrete forms for the new sidewalk

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) completed the first phase of this Safe Routes to School project in December 2023. During that work, traffic engineers created safer cyclist paths by placing round concrete diverters along the roadway to form protected bike lanes. Then, street painters reworked the lane configuration, eliminating some parking spaces while outlining new parking locations away from the curb.

Illustrated satellite view courtesy PBOT
  1. Build a segment of sidewalk and three new curb ramps on the NW and SW corners of the intersection (Under Construction)
  2. Mark crosswalks across SE Lincoln and SE 92nd Ave
  3. Build a concrete island in the SE 92nd Ave crosswalk to provide a waiting space for people walking
  4. Tighten turning radius to slow southbound vehicles turning right from SE 92nd onto SE Lincoln (Completed)
  5. Separate automobile and bicycle travel lanes with concrete barriers (Completed)
  6. Extend the east side bike lane through the intersection (Completed)
  7. Adjust parking spaces by: removing six (6) legal parking spaces, but adding four (4) new legal parking spaces. This will be a total change of removing two (2). (Completed)

This section of SE 92nd Avenue features a southbound turnout at the westward connection to SE Lincoln Street. Consequently, the northwest sidewalk corner and curb ramp are over 50 feet from the edge of SE 92nd Avenue. North-south pedestrians will need to cross SE Lincoln Street with a mid-block curb ramp and travel along the new sidewalk leading toward the newly marked 92nd Avenue crossing.

Northwest corner forms awaiting concrete

Cars and bicyclists must share lanes during construction as barricades have drivers shifted to the east along SE 92nd Avenue. Additional traffic diversion will occur when crews begin work on the pedestrian island. All users of this roadway should use caution over the next few weeks until construction workers complete the final phases of the safety project.

Article and photos by

Jacob Loeb

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Demolition

Two SE 92nd Derelict Houses Demolished

Nearly six months after applying for demolition permits, crews working for the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church have begun removing the three derelict houses on SE 92nd Avenue. Heavy equipment and workers removed two homes and one detached garage from the 1.4-acre property. Only a single home and its fire-damaged detached garage at 2340 SE 92nd Avenue remain standing, awaiting permit approval.

The Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church of Portland purchased the three neighboring properties to the south between 2007 and 2013, boarding them up four years ago. In February, the church administrators applied for demolition permits and received approval for the structures associated with 2320 SE 92nd Avenue and 2328 SE 92nd Avenue. The remaining buildings on the corner property recently suffered fire damage but have not yet received city approval for their deconstruction. Expect to see demolition resume after the building’s owner receives final permission.

Aerial view from Portland Maps showing the three large lots totaling 1.4-acres

Update November 1st, 2023: Demolition crews are deconstructing the single family home and its fire-damaged detached garage at 2340 SE 92nd Avenue. It is the last of three houses owned by the adjacent Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church being removed.

By

Jacob Loeb

Construction, Infrastructure

Corner Reconstruction on SE 92nd

Crews working for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) are reconstructing sidewalk corners across Montavilla this summer, focusing on the SE Stark and Washington couplet. That work included a previously challenging Intersection for pedestrians at SE 92nd Avenue and Washington Street. Crossing improvements are also underway south along SE 92nd Avenue at Taylor, near Berrydale Park. The new sidewalk infrastructure feature Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant crosswalk ramps, improved stormwater management, and extended corners to shorten crossing distance and provide more space for people waiting to cross.

The northeast corner of SE 92nd Avenue and Washington Street was too small for safe pedestrian use. A utility pole blocked the few feet of sidewalk available to anyone walking along SE Washington, and water would flow over the sidewalk on its way to the often clogged storm drain. The new sidewalk corner repositions the drain and pushes the corner into the street, creating more pedestrian space. Each of the eight curb ramps at this intersection now aligns with the direction of travel, making it safer for sight-impaired people and those using a wheelchair to cross in a straight line. The north side of SE Washington Street still lacks functional sidewalk width from SE 92nd to 94th Avenues. However, this is a substantial improvement in pedestrian safety.

SE 92nd Ave and Washington St’s northeast corner before reconstruction

Down the street, crews are beginning work at SE 92nd Avenue and Taylor Street. These new corners will help people access Berrydale Park and the adjacent school. Corner improvements will create better crossings and prepare the area for the Berrydale Park Improvement Project, which will update sidewalks around the public greenspace in 2025. Walking along SE 92nd Avenue should soon become more accessible and safe for all users. Expect construction to continue through the summer.

By

Jacob Loeb

Promotion: Help keep independent news accessible to the community. Montavilla News has a Patreon account. We invite those who can contribute to this local news source to consider becoming paid subscribers or sponsors. We will always remain free to read regardless of subscription.