Last month, in front of St. Rita Catholic Church in Parkrose, Portland Bureau of Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick, TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane and PBOT Director Leah Treat announced an agreement between the two agencies to build sidewalks, make safer crossings and provide more transit service along 122nd Avenue. In addition, sidewalks are coming to the north side of Northeast Prescott Street from 102nd Avenue to I-205 Freeway (about 94th Avenue). Matt Huber, who lives on Prescott across from St. Rita said sidewalks are a good idea. “I see families all the time walking down the street; that’s good they’re getting someplace safer to walk.”
Novick said since he was elected in 2012, he’s heard from residents that improved bus service was a top priority. Novick also said he discussed the community’s needs with TriMet, but that agency couldn’t make any improvements until infrastructure upgrades were made to the roadways. Novick found that many of the sidewalk and crosswalk projects in the East Portland in Motion Plan would make it easier to get to transit and potentially improve bus ridership. “I heard repeatedly four years ago from residents of east Portland that improved bus service on 122nd was a priority. I first raised the issue with TriMet in February of 2012, and at that point they didn’t see an immediate path to more frequent service. Subsequently, however, TriMet said that they could more easily justify service improvements if we were able to make safety improvements along the route to make it easier to access bus stops—the same kind of safety improvements that east Portlanders have been advocating for years. We have now committed more than $6 million to make those improvements on last year’s budget and through the Fix Our Streets measure—and TriMet is delivering on its promise.”
It took an election year, but proper sidewalks are coming to the north side of Northeast Prescott Street from 102nd Avenue to the I-205 freeway. Commissioner Steve Novick recently convinced City Council to approve spending $3.1 million to build sidewalks and other safety improvements along Northeast 122nd Avenue.
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City Council approved Novick’s recent request for $3.1 million from the city’s General Fund to build sidewalks and crosswalk safety improvements. Improvements start this fall with new sidewalks on the north side of Northeast Prescott Street from 102nd Avenue to the I-205 freeway (about 94th Avenue). Improved bus service began Sept. 4, when TriMet created Line 73-122nd Ave. to increase rush hour frequency.
TriMet made the first phase of service enhancements in September, which included splitting Line 71-60th Ave./122nd Ave. into two bus lines. The renamed 71-60th Ave. line continues to run on the same frequency along 60th Avenue between Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center. The newly created Line 73-122nd Ave. operates at increased rush hour frequency between Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center and Southeast 94th Avenue and Foster Road. “When looking at expanding service, we also look for ways to increase the overall access to transit, including sidewalks and safe crossings,” McFarlane said. “This partnership is allowing TriMet and PBOT to improve mobility, transit access and safety for riders, who are pedestrians first and last for every trip.”
The improvements are part of PBOT’s effort to achieve Vision Zero, the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries from our streets. The approach includes changing street design so mistakes made while traveling do not result in deaths or serious injuries. It also includes education and enforcement efforts that have been shown to reduce fatalities.
PBOT’s 122nd Avenue Area Safety Improvements project is investing $3.1 million in sidewalks and safer pedestrian crossings along a six-mile corridor from Northeast Prescott Street to Southeast Foster Road, with construction from fall 2016 through fall 2017.
As capital investments are completed, TriMet will continue to add additional bus service enhancements until Frequent Service levels—15 minutes or better between buses—are reached on the Line 73-122nd Ave.
For more information, contact Winston Sandino, 503-823-5767, or e-mail him at winston.sandino@portlandoregon.gov.
