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LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
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| There is a five-year wait for new sidewalks, crosswalk improvements, bike lanes, and neighborhood greenway construction in east Portland according to planner Ellen Vanderslice. |
“With Portland Bureau of Transportation providing interpreters, child care and refreshments, PSU students conducted interviews with Somali mothers, Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, Spanish-speaking parents of elementary students, seniors and Chinese-speaking elders, homeless families, and both youth and adult refugees,” Vanderslice said.
This has all resulted in the following program of improvements:
•Sidewalk infill: There are 8.1 miles of projects costing $14 million. These include a green street along Southeast 122nd Avenue and infill where needed along Southeast Division and Stark Streets, Southeast 160th Avenue between Burnside and Stark streets, and Southeast 162nd Avenue between Stark Street and Powell Boulevard. Sidewalks are also planned for streets that are substandard or non-existent: Northeast Prescott Street between 102nd and 122nd avenues, Southeast Holgate between 122nd and 136th avenues, and Southeast 136th Avenue, between Powell and Holgate boulevards.
•Crossing improvements: There will be 56 such projects on Northeast Halsey, Stark and Division streets and Southeast 122nd Avenue.
•Neighborhood greenways: These are street improvements that include planted bio-swales to help absorb storm water runoff, but also pedestrian crossing and traffic calming elements. East Portland has eight miles of such facilities currently; EPIM will add another 29.
•Bike projects. EPIM calls for new bike lanes on Northeast Prescott Street between 81st and 121st avenues, Northeast Glisan Street between 148th and 162nd avenues, Southeast Division Street between I-205 and 130th avenues, and Southeast Cherry Blossom Lane at 112th Avenue. There will also be new bike parking facilities near MAX stations and in major business districts.
•Trails: These include the Sullivan's Gulch Trail from Gateway to the East Bank Esplanade, a trail connecting Parkrose to the proposed Gateway Green recreation area, and trails near Ikea and Scouter Mountain.
The intent, Vanderslice said, was “a holistic approach to the most cost-effective transportation improvements,” resulting in a “seamless network” of transportation options. She added, “Not everything we intended to do could we accomplish. We concentrated on where the need was greatest.”
However, she added, “I want to be clear that this is not a new plan; this is a report on an implementation strategy, and we are committed to the implementation of these projects. PBOT has included the first two years of projects from this report in our Two-Year Capital Improvement Program; we have started some of these projects and will continue to move forward with them. We believe that, even in the current forecast, we are likely to be able to complete all the recommended projects in the report over the next five years.”
Commission member Chris Smith, a bicycle advocate, said, “I was blown away when I read this report. It addresses many of the problems we've been working on.”
Commission member Don Hanson approved and encouraged pedestrian improvements that are “tailored” to local conditions, rather than strictly adhering to City standards, ensuring they actually are built. He called the eight miles of sidewalk improvements “a real achievement.”
Commission member Howard Shapiro commented, “It's stunning to me that there are half mile stretches where you can't cross a street. This is the very essence of inequity.”
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