A whole-house remodel is underway at 9230 SE Washington Street. Fire damage to the property requires replacing the roof’s structure and a complete interior remodel.
Permit 20-176364 calls for a “new trussed roof to replace fire damaged roof. Complete interior remodel to include new bedroom and 1/2 bathroom. Remove patio cover at rear of structure.”
Work on the project is well underway, with the roof already replaced and new windows installed on the property’s front-facing walls. Updated siding and paint are expected, based on the exposed sheathing caused by exterior alterations. Despite being caused by a fire, this remodel is a positive upgrade for the 1949 home.
Expanded corners are now present at the intersection of SE 92nd Ave and Washington street. First appearing on 76th Ave, these are part of the Busy Streets program seeking to provide more space at heavily used intersections.
Portland Bureau of Transportation installed these temporary sidewalk expansions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These street crossings often become crowded with pedestrians trying to cross. This extra space should allow for social distancing while waiting for cars to yield.
Expanded corners are now present along SE 80th Ave on both Stark and Washington streets. First appearing on 76th Ave, these are part of the Busy Streets program seeking to provide more space at busy intersections.
Portland Bureau of Transportation installed these temporary sidewalk expansions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. These street crossings often become crowded with pedestrians trying to cross. This extra space should allow for social distancing while waiting for cars to yield.
South side of Stark Street looking west.North side of Washington looking east.North side of Washington looking west.
The first Expanded corner of the Busy Streets program came to the corner of SE 76th Ave and SE Washington Street. Composed of paint and white plastic delineators, it extends the corner space out beyond the curb.
Strictly speaking, this corner is on the other side of the street from Montavilla. SE 76th Ave is the west edge of Montavilla between SE Division and E Burnside. It would technically be in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood.
SE Stark Street will also receive corner enhancements at 76th and 80th. Montavilla’s portion of SE Washington Street will get their expanded corners at 80th and 92nd Ave.
The yellow paint chosen is less bright than other street markings seen throughout Portland. Although new, it looks faded. However, it is only a temporary measure to allow distancing at the curb. Ideally, it will become a full extended curb if made permanent as part of the Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project.
UPDATE – The crossing of 76th Ave and SE Stark Street in now complete.
The new Busy Streets program has already made Montavilla more walkable and will extend through the neighborhood. The program seeks to expand pedestrian space in busy areas by reusing parts of the roadway not used for travel lanes.
Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has launched the Busy Streets program as part of its response to COVID-19. The program expands on the Safe Streets Initiative that PBOT has already implemented with the Slow Streets and Healthy Businesses programs.
Last week one of four temporary bus platforms was added to SE Washington Street, north of 80th Ave. Three more are coming to bus stops at SE Stark Street at 82nd, 90th, and 92nd.
Expanded corners make it easier to physically distance while waiting to cross at busy intersections. Made by visible by paint and other indicators, they extend the corner out towards the traffic lane. SE Stark Street will receive corner enhancements at the intersections of 76th and 80th. Three expanded corners on Montavilla’s portion of SE Washington Street are at the 76th, 80th, and 92nd crossings.
A long stretch of SE Stark Street’s north side is receiving an expanded walkway, from 84th to 94th. This extra space allows pedestrians to move off the sidewalk into the street, allowing others to pass at a distance. Added paint and indicator poles should increase safety for pedestrians when they are on the roadway.
These temporary enhancements would be welcomed as permeant additions to the roadway. Perhaps they could become part of the final Jade and Montavilla Multimodal Improvements Project. Details of that project will begin the design phase soon, according to Lisa Patterson Capital Project Manager for Policy Planning + Projects at PBOT.
For now, the temporary improvements should promote Montavilla’s walkability until permeant upgrades are in place. Look for future work in the next few months as these projects complete construction.
Illustrated images are provided by Portland Bureau of Transportation
East of SE 80th on Washington Street, Portland Bureau of Transportation has installed a temporary Curb Extension for the bus stop. Constructed out of asphalt and rubber tire stops, it is a none permanent installation. The bus stop serves both the 15 and 272 bus lines. Before this upgrade, the stop had limited sidewalk space for waiting passengers.
Bus stop curb extensions (also called Bus Platforms) provide a passenger waiting area and allow buses to stop in the traffic lane. The added space helps for efficient loading and unloading of passengers. Not waiting to merge back into traffic saves considerable transit time on a route.
Although not a feature of this temporary curb extension, a permeant installation could improve pedestrian safety by shortening the distance to cross Washington Street. That will be a needed component of the future 80th Ave Greenway project.
Frequent users of this bus stop will enjoy the added space and faster service thanks to the new curb extension. This platform could last years before needing replacement by a permanent structure. Until then, TriMet riders will have a suitable temporary structure to wait on.
UPDATE – Bike Portland wrote about the new temporary bus platforms as part of the Busy Streets program. This program will add more temporary bus platforms, Expanded walkways, and Expanded corners to Montavilla.
Removed project attribution to TriMet. A TriMet representative responded to an earlier inquiry and said it was a Portland Bureau of Transportation project.
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