Last week, road crews continued construction on the NE Glisan Street crossing at 78th Avenue to support the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project. However, similar work on NE Halsey Street and 76th Avenue stalled due to a striping contractor’s mechanical difficulty. Other critical crossings on SE Stark and Washington Streets at 80th Avenue remain partially completed and unmarked.
Last week, drivers near NE Glisan Street and 78th Avenue experienced detours and lane closures as crews demolished several feet of the east side of a pedestrian refuge island. This work removed the remnants of a signal pole that had once supported Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB). That signal pole and plastic delineator posts suffered repeated damage from vehicles driving over the island. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) stopped replacing the island-mounted pole in 2021, relying on the RRFBs attached to utility poles on the road’s edge. For years, an orange traffic cone protected the exposed wires on the refuge island. This recent work on NE Glisan Street addresses the exposed wire issue, covering the electrical junction box and removing the pole anchoring bolts. Crews also installed pole-mounted signal request buttons for cyclists to activate without dismounting. Pedestrian refuge island reconstruction could include additional safety measures. However, design documents do not indicate a significant adjustment to the physical attributes of the pedestrian refuge island.
South of the active Greenway work, construction of two pedestrian refuge islands and a small raised concrete median on NE Halsey Street is likely delayed until next year. In September, cement masons completed reconstructing sidewalk corners and adding mid-block curb ramps for the 70s Greenway crossing at NE Halsey Street and 76th Avenue. Before work can begin on the in-street crossing elements, crews must remove the existing lane striping and repaint lines in a new configuration. NE Halsey will change from a four-lane design in this area to a three-lane street with bike lanes. This transformation will happen by reducing a travel lane in each direction and adding a center turn lane. Until that reconfiguration occurs, road crews cannot create the refuge island because it would block part of a travel lane.
According to PBOT, the contracted painting company suffered equipment failure, which disrupted their busy schedule. That company, Hicks Striping & Curbing, is one of only two striping contractors in the northwest region approved to do this work. Specialized Pavement Marking is the other contractor and is equally busy. Consequentially, project planners anticipate delays in the Greenway crossing work. “We don’t anticipate striping this segment until spring 2024,” explained Hannah Schafer, Communications Director for PBOT. Construction schedules can shift on other projects, freeing up resources for this work, but for now, crews are waiting for updated pavement markings.
Other Greenway crossing projects in Montavilla are missing pavement markings, causing hardship for people using the intersections. SE Stark and Washington Streets at 80th Avenue recently received updates to support RRFBs. When the road crews repaved the work area, that work temporarily removed a high-visibility crosswalk on SE Stark Street. Without lane striping and marked crossings, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers navigate with some ambiguity around conflict points in the street.
These are short-term challenges as the streets around the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project gain safety improvements. However, residents have demanded crossing improvements along these busy streets for years, and further delay is understandably disappointing. By next year, PBOT should complete the Greenway project, making way for other safety improvements in the area.
Update December 14th, 2023: Cement masons completed work on the NE Glisan Street crossing at 78th Avenue. It is now full functional for pedestrian users. PBOT should install the bike RRFB request buttons soon. As design documents indicated, crews did not install additional pedestrian refuge island safety enhancements. Work on the island removed the mounting bolts from the damaged RRFB signal pole and secured the wiring junction box with an access cover.
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