Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) staff are in the midst of updating the City’s Freight Master Plan adopted by the Portland City Council in 2006. The 2040 Portland Freight Plan seeks to create a strategic road map for investing in urban freight infrastructure in Portland. This update allows the city to rebalance the commercial demands on the roads with the City’s Vision Zero and environmental goals. PBOT created a survey for Portlanders to help identify intersections, streets, curbs, bridges, ramps, and neighborhoods where people experience urban freight-related safety and mobility concerns.
Montavilla is a neighborhood surrounded and bisected by urban freight movement. The I84 and I205 freeways create its north and east borders, while 82nd Avenue, NE Glisan Street, SE Start/Washington Streets, and SE Division Street all carry substantial commercial traffic through the community. Businesses and residents in the neighborhood can provide unique perspectives to the survey, helping PBOT meet its goal of creating a safe, equitable, efficient, and sustainable urban freight system.
Participating in the PBOT survey is the public’s best opportunity to shape the next 20 years of freight activity in Portland. The results from the PBOT survey, along with extensive reports and analyses, will form the final Plan. Other guidance will come from the 2040Freight Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and multiple supporting documents developed throughout the planning process.
By
Jacob Loeb
Title image courtesy of PBOT
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Starting this Friday at 10 PM, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will close most of I84 between I5 and I205. This closure will extend throughout the weekend, potentially diverting increased traffic through Montavilla as motorists find alternative routes. Residents should plan ahead and allow for extra travel time over the next three days. Additionally, use caution on neighborhood roads as overflow traffic could travel via uncommon routes.
The rare I84 closure is necessary to allow construction cranes to lift the long span of a new bridge into place. After more than a year of construction, the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Congressman Earl Blumenauer Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge is ready for the next phase of installation. Heavy-lift specialists will slowly maneuver the approximately 450,000 lb. and 400-foot-long bridge over Sullivan’s Gulch. Progress of the big lift project will be viewable online via a live web camera.
The closure begins tonight, Friday, October 8th, and continues until 5 AM Monday morning. Road crews will block all westbound I84 traffic starting at I205. In the other direction, crews will barricade I84 eastbound ramps from I5. The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast Grand Avenue is also closed. The on-ramp from Northeast 16th Avenue will periodically reopen to eastbound traffic during the weekend. However, drivers shouldn’t depend on its availability. On-ramps east of, and including Cesar Chavez Boulevard, will remain open.
Despite many public notices regarding the closure, some drivers are likely to be confused, creating traffic congestion around I84. If traveling this weekend, check TripCheck.com or mobile map apps for the latest conditions. Otherwise, this may be an excellent weekend to remain close to home or head out of town early.
I-84 eastbound
All I-84 eastbound lanes will close from I-5 to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, including:
The ramps to I-84 from northbound and southbound I-5.
The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast Grand Avenue, closing at 5 a.m. Friday.
The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast 16th Avenue, will periodically open.
The eastbound on-ramp from Cesar Chavez Boulevard will remain open. On-ramps east of Cesar Chavez Boulevard will also remain open.
I-84 westbound
All I-84 westbound lanes will close at Interstate 205 including:
The ramps from northbound and southbound I-205.
The on-ramp from Northeast Halsey Street, near 82nd Avenue.
The on-ramp from Northeast Glisan Street, near 58th Avenue
Montavilla is a neighborhood shaped by the freeways along two of its borders. These massive roadways seem permanent and inseparable from the city itself. However, a local documentary filmmaker has examined Portland’s history of removing freeways and abandoning expansion plans. A practice that leaves remnants of infrastructure all over the city, creating questions for those who did not live through those parts of Portland’s history.
The creator of these documentaries, Peter Dibble, looked to his interests when selecting projects. “I’m fascinated by transportation infrastructure and local history, so I guess it was inevitable that I would discover Portland’s colorful history of freeway projects. I couldn’t find any videos online that cover this really interesting history, so I took it upon myself to compile my research and make these stories accessible to a wider audience.”
Dibble’s professional background is in graphic design and motion graphics. He explained that documentary filmmaking is a relatively new pursuit for him. “I never actually put any serious thought into making documentaries until last summer.” Not all of Dibble’s projects focus on Portland. His other works look into railroad history and its forgotten technology. Regardless of the subject, each video features a polished storytelling skill and features impressive imagery that creates entertaining looks at history’s influence on our current infrastructure.
Dibble’s first video about Portland’s roadways, Remnants of Portland’s Unbuilt Freeways, took three months to put together. Following that success, he felt well equipped to produce the longer video about Harbor Drive, The Forgotten Story of Harbor Drive: Portland’s Demolished Freeway. That film required four months to complete. Each project required extensive research to knit together a story worth telling. “Some great information is readily available online, but I found myself digging deeper and trying to piece together how these individual projects were all related to each other.” Dibble’s explained that being employed full-time limits his ability to make videos as quickly or as often as he would like. “These projects are limited to the margins of my spare time. I’m also a big believer in ‘quality over quantity.'” With over 150 thousand views each, people enjoy the results of this filmmaker’s time-intensive process.
Many details uncovered through research don’t make it into the final product for the sake of keeping a steady pace and staying on topic. Some may end up becoming documentaries on their own, but others will always remain on the cutting-room floor. Dibble described one abandoned project from the late 1940s that is of interest but did not fit into the larger story. “Portland’s bridges were jammed like crazy with traffic. One of the proposed solutions was to completely remove all of the bridges and replace them with tunnels under the Willamette River. This never gained any serious traction as far as I could tell, but it’s fun to think about.” Another fascinating event from the 1950s also captivated Dibble during his research but failed to make it into either video. “When downtown was getting ready to switch over to one-way streets, this required the retirement of three streetcar lines. On the last night of service, Portlanders swarmed the historic streetcars and literally ripped them apart to keep pieces as souvenirs. The account of the events that night is so chaotic and entertaining.”
More Portland-themed documentaries are in the future for Peter Dibble. There are still many stories from Portland’s history that he would like to dig into. However, followers will need to wait as his process takes time. Subscribing to Peter Dibble‘s YouTube channel is the best way to stay updated on his current projects and show support.
This fall, Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) is installing 182 new public trash cans throughout Southeast Portland. The cans are emptied twice a week, paid for by the City. From now until August 1st, city staff requests that residents and people working in the area complete a can placement survey.
Last year, Montavilla News and the Montavilla Neighborhood Association conducted a similar survey. The results from that initiative are already submitted to BPS and do not require resubmittal. Data collected now will include areas beyond the neighborhood boundaries to encompass E Burnside Street to SE Clatsop Street and the Willamette River to I205.
Area receiving trash cans this fall
Within the brief survey, participants can drop multiple pins where they think BPS should place new cans. There is also an opportunity to ask for specific areas to be exempt from trash can placement and provide additional comments. When completing the survey, participants can choose to subscribe to a project-updates email list.
With a limited number of trash receptacles available for the Southeast, it’s essential to use local knowledge to place cans where they will receive the most use. Northeast Portland is slated as the next trash can expansion area, rolling out just a few months after Southeast. Look for a similar survey for that area later this summer.
Montavilla Neighborhood Association’s submitted can placement map
Disclosure: The author of this article serves on the MNA Board
Crews recently installed new sidewalks on SE Market Street, creating a connected path for pedestrians. The project linked a patchwork of disconnected walkways from SE 92nd Ave to the I205 overpass. Many properties never had sidewalks, being constructed before that was required. Consequentially, the infill work often had to cut around fixed obstacles that were previously only in a yard.
On the south side of Market Street, a fire hydrant protrudes from the new sidewalk, creating an awkward path. A distracted pedestrian could easily collide with this cast iron pillar centered on the narrow walkway. A slight bulge in the pavement allows strollers and wheelchairs enough width to navigate around the hydrant. It is functional but not an ideal solution for the safe navigation of the street.
All other infill sidewalk sections carefully expanded the road’s edge, with modest intrusions onto residential poverties. Removal of a tree and shrubs occurred on a handful of properties to make room for the pavement. For the yards with a grade above the sidewalk level, crews created short retaining walls.
Most pedestrians will appreciate these new sidewalks and the other improvements coming to Market Street. The slightly awkward path is better for pedestrians than being forced to walk on the street’s edge. Walking SE Market Street is significantly safer and accessible thanks to this work.
UPDATE – Crews are beginning work on SE Market Street’s sidewalks and corners. Expect some disruption to normal traffic patterns during the next few weeks.
Original story from December 17th, 2020.
Continuous sidewalks and bike lanes are coming to SE Market street as part of a Greenway expansion program. Starting at SE 92nd Ave, improvements on Market street will extend east to 130th Ave. This work includes Curb Extensions and new Curb Ramps along the project’s path.
The East Portland Access to Employment and Education project is principally focused east of Montavilla. Market Street is one of a handful of East Portland streets that cross over Interstate 205 (I205). Consequently, it’s heavily used by cars, bikes, and pedestrians trying to cross the freeway. Although there are some sidewalk segments between 92nd Ave and the overpass, they are not continuous. East of I205, sidewalks become less consistent on Market Street.
SE Market street will gain bike lanes starting just before the freeway overpass heading east. The new safe bike route will connect with the future 4M Neighborhood Greenway in the outer Southeast. Sidewalk infill on SE Market Street will branch out north on SE Cherry Blossom Drive towards SE Washington Street. At completion, these projects will add approximately 75 new ADA ramps.
The intersection of 92nd Ave and Market Street is the only Montavilla location receiving new ramps as part of this construction. Reconstruction of the northwest and southeast corners will add Curb Extensions to the sidewalk. Curb Extensions extend the sidewalk area into the parking lane, making pedestrians increasingly visible to cars before they cross. Additionally, they shorten the distance of a crosswalk for the pedestrian.
These improvements will make another safe crossing point over I205 and help residents connect with neighborhoods and services to the east. This section of Montavilla is quickly becoming a dense traffic area during peak travel times. Hopefully, this project will improve conditions and give people alternatives to driving when navigating these streets.
This week crews posted new speed limit signs along NE Glisan Street east of 82nd Ave. Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) reduced the speed on this heavily traveled roadway as part of Portland’s Vision Zero goal. A program established to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. The change follows a year full of collisions in this area.
The recent speed limit adjustments made to NE Glisan from 82nd Ave to 122nd Ave creates continuity along the roadway. “With this change in place, NE Glisan Street now has a consistent 30 mph speed limit across most of Portland.” Explained Hannah Schafer, a Communications and Public Involvement representative with PBOT.
Although only reduced by five mph, a reduction from 35 mph to 30 mph can substantially decrease crash fatalities. According to Schafer, “speed is a factor in nearly half of deadly crashes that occur in Portland. Lower speeds result in fewer crashes. When crashes occur, lower speeds make it more likely that people will survive.”
The speed limit reduction joins other efforts by PBOT to improve safety on NE Glisan. Earlier this year, pedestrian crossing lights near Multnomah University joined other similar lights on this road. Reduced speed limits may help calm traffic. However, speeding on this road between I205 and 82nd Ave is a constant issue, regardless of the posted limit. With luck, this change and other PBOT initiatives will improve safety for all users of NE Glisan.
Permit application 20-222655 is under review for a wireless tower located at 2248 SE 92nd Ave. The site, situated in the parking lot of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, is adjacent to the I205 Multi-use Path. Work will provide upgraded radio and transmission equipment.
The project will add three antennas and three remote radio units to the tower. One FXFB radio will be decommissioned. Within the ground-level shelter, equipment upgrades will take place inside existing cabinets. Running up the tower, workers will install two new cables with pendants and j-boxes.
Crown Castle maintains this tower and is the applicant on the permit. These upgrades will provide increased service at this point in the cellphone network.
A multifamily project called Jenny Station is under construction, offering condominium apartments starting at $169,000. Located at 2434 SE 92nd Ave, The new three-story apartment building will have 15 units and a detached trash enclosure. Each floor will have three two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom units. Access to the second and third floors will be through 2 exterior stairwells on the northside of the building.
Plans call for access to the property to be protected by steel gates. Only one unit, the front first-floor unit 101, will have direct street access. All other units will have gated access. Each two-bedroom unit on floors two and three will have a small 36 square foot (sq ft) deck. The rear two two-bedroom units on the first floor will also have a 36 sq ft deck.
The majority of the two-bedroom units are just under 840 sq ft, and the one-bedroom units are between 410 sq ft and 486 sq ft. No off-street parking is included. These should be desirable apartments in a central location. Just off SE Division and near I 205, there is quick access to bus and Max lines. These units will attract a healthy mix of families and individuals, in what is becoming a nice stretch of SE Division.
UPDATE – Added construction images, pricing and link.
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