 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
MEMO BLOG | |
Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Meals on Wheels | Letters | Home |
LINDA CARGILL
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
By the end of July, pedestrians on Northeast 102nd Avenue will be strolling on brand-new sidewalks, stretching half a mile from East Burnside Street to Northeast Glisan Street.
By then, if all goes well, Phase II of the nearly $2.5 million Northeast 102nd Avenue Streetscape project will have finished widening sidewalks so people can begin using them. Workers are also installing ornamental streetlights hung with vertical banners welcoming people to the Gateway neighborhood.
During August, workers will add some minor electrical work and finish painting light poles, returning in September to plant 39 trees along the street.
Construction on the east side of Northeast 102nd Avenue started on June 9, moving from south to north, and was completed June 26. The west side work started June 26, with a completion deadline set for the end of July.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation applied for a federal grant to fund the project. The Portland Development Commission provided 10 percent of the total cost in matching funds, approximately $140,000 for Phase II.
The existing sidewalk was only six feet wide, so PBOT had to pay for the right of way from property owners along the route. The agency purchased between four and six feet of private right of way to widen the sidewalk. The new width will vary from 12 to 15 feet at various points along the route.
“In some places, we couldn't go 15 because it was going to be way too expensive to buy another two more feet because we had billboard signs that we would probably have to remove and relocate,” said Winston Sandino, the PBOT project manager who is overseeing Phase II.
“So we decided to make it a little bit narrower, to 12 feet, but still it's plenty of space for pedestrians and also to install the trees and street lights.”
This summer, workers will load top soil onto the three-foot square tree wells cut into the sidewalk, each well a home awaiting its own tree. “They can't plant trees in the summer,” Sandino explained. “In September, when it starts raining, they can start planting the trees.”
PBOT planners talked to the property owners along the street, mostly businesses, asking what kind of trees they would like planted. Most were not choosy; only one wanted a special variety. “They don't really grow that tall because of the power lines,” Sandino said. “So we have to just plant trees that are not too tall or too wide that are not going to block the view of pedestrians and vehicles.”
An arborist works with PBOT to determine if existing trees are diseased or damaged and need removal. About four trees will be removed. “We talked to the property owner, and he wanted those trees gone,” Sandino said. “They were actually in bad shape.”
One of the property owners tore down half a dozen boarded-up houses along the street, leaving only one standing. A large empty lot is fenced off; it will be developed later after the sidewalk is built.
Sue Lewis, PDC project manager for Phase II, said ideas for how to revamp 102nd Avenue percolated up from the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Gateway Regional Center Urban Renewal Area, which met over the past few years. PAC members suggested many details, including continuation of the hanging banners, covered with graphic symbols representing the area. Similar banners were installed in Phase I of the Streetscape project, which added sidewalks and lights from Northeast Weidler Street to Northeast Glisan Street on both sides of Northeast 102nd Avenue.
The banners create a sense of place, Lewis said. “To know that where you're at, you're in an area that's more pedestrian friendly, more welcoming and inviting.”
Anne Mangan, communications director for PDC, added, “It's a symbol of unity in the neighborhood, something that the neighborhood collectively feels represents what's there, and it's something they can take pride in as being an attractive addition to the neighborhood.”
Christopher Masciocchi, the local graphic artist who created the banners, said images he chose represent activities or places characteristic of Gateway or the nearby area: MAX light rail, the Portland airport, Glendoveer Golf Course, cycling on the multiuse path, rock climbing at Rocky Butte, Douglas fir trees and Mount Hood.
Each of the roughly 24-by-48-inch banners is made of powder-coated aluminum, and shows the Gateway arch at the top laser-cut out from the metal, permitting airflow. The images at the bottom are printed on adhesive vinyl, so they can be removed and changed if people want a different image later. “The end result is a very durable installation,” Masciocchi said. “The problem with east Portland is it's a huge area, and it lacks a coherent identity. The thought was by adding these banners as you go down 102nd Avenue, you would start to see that this is a place that's unified and has coherence.”
Phase I of the project started in the winter of 2008 and was completed in November of that year, according to Dan Layden, PBOT project manager for that phase of the project.
The cost was just under $5 million, coming from a federal transportation grant and matching funds from PDC.
PBOT bought the right of way to widen the sidewalks to the standard 15 feet. “Not all of it is 15 feet but most of it is,” Layden said.
Construction included colored permeable pavers in the first four feet of the sidewalk. Those features were dropped from Phase II because of maintenance problems, Layden said.
Workers also added several vegetated stormwater swales, streetlights and trees. All the required swales were added in Phase I, so none were needed in Phase II.
They also landscaped and added storm water improvements at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Northeast Weidler Street, as well as the island where Northeast 102nd Avenue turns into the Halsey-Weidler couplet and the “jug handle” turnaround just north of Northeast Weidler Street.
Layden said people have questioned why all the grant money was spent in the Gateway area rather than other sections of east Portland. “The answer is we didn't have a choice,” Layden said. “That's where the grant was awarded. It was part of the Gateway Urban Renewal Area, and there was a major effort on the part of folks from Gateway to get the money. Congressman Blumenauer was very important in getting the first phase of the money because it was still in the days when there were earmarks, and the congressman could write into the bill that this money goes to here.”
Developed in 2006, that project was based on the Gateway Streetscape Plan.
Currently, there is not funding for Phase III of the project, which will extend new sidewalks from East Burnside Street to Southeast Stark Street. When developers built the Russellville senior apartments just south of East Burnside Street on Southeast 102nd Avenue a few years ago, they installed sidewalks alongside that building; construction work which was part of the Phase III design. “They've pretty much done a streetscape on that side, so we probably wouldn't modify that any,” Layden said. There is potential to do something on the other side of the street.”
No plans are afoot presently to seek grant money for that project, he said. “It's a more challenging phase,” he said, adding that some of the properties on that west side of Southeast 102nd Avenue have significant differences in grade. So far, funding is not imminent, he said.
Mike Wert, who lives near Northeast 104th Avenue, said he walks Northeast 102nd Avenue every day on his way to the MAX station to work. “It's sure an exciting project,” said Wert. “I think the whole project is going to be really positive for the neighborhood.” Although disappointed some of the trees would be removed, he added, “It will be an improvement to have the bigger sidewalks along there.”
Wert walks by vacant parcels of land along Northeast 102nd Avenue. “The sidewalk is old and it's uneven and it's narrow and there's a fence along it,” he said. “The wider sidewalks will be a lot nicer to walk along there. It's going to be really nice to have the street lighting on both sides of the street.”
Wert said at night, the area is very dark with the businesses closed and many vacant lots. “I don't want to say it's scary at night, but it's not optimal,” said Wert. “It's kind of dead zone. It needs some light in there.”
Wert is also excited about proposed flashing pedestrian beacon at the Northeast Davis Street walkway, which is part of the Streetscape plan.
Since the Davis Street walkway is shown as an official multiuse trail on the city's Bike/Walk map Wert suggested that instead of just the 'Ped' symbol sign, it would be great to have a 'Ped/Bike' sign at the new rapid-flash there. “It is so useful for bikes, too, and the sign with both markings would make it clearer to folks that bikes should be crossing there,” he said.
Sandino said he would ask the city traffic engineer to look at the sign at the Davis Street Walkway and make a determination about adding the bike designation.
New sidewalks grace 102nd Avenue
LINDA CARGILL
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO
By the end of July, pedestrians on Northeast 102nd Avenue will be strolling on brand-new sidewalks, stretching half a mile from East Burnside Street to Northeast Glisan Street.
By then, if all goes well, Phase II of the nearly $2.5 million Northeast 102nd Avenue Streetscape project will have finished widening sidewalks so people can begin using them. Workers are also installing ornamental streetlights hung with vertical banners welcoming people to the Gateway neighborhood.
During August, workers will add some minor electrical work and finish painting light poles, returning in September to plant 39 trees along the street.
Construction on the east side of Northeast 102nd Avenue started on June 9, moving from south to north, and was completed June 26. The west side work started June 26, with a completion deadline set for the end of July.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation applied for a federal grant to fund the project. The Portland Development Commission provided 10 percent of the total cost in matching funds, approximately $140,000 for Phase II.
The existing sidewalk was only six feet wide, so PBOT had to pay for the right of way from property owners along the route. The agency purchased between four and six feet of private right of way to widen the sidewalk. The new width will vary from 12 to 15 feet at various points along the route.
“In some places, we couldn't go 15 because it was going to be way too expensive to buy another two more feet because we had billboard signs that we would probably have to remove and relocate,” said Winston Sandino, the PBOT project manager who is overseeing Phase II.
“So we decided to make it a little bit narrower, to 12 feet, but still it's plenty of space for pedestrians and also to install the trees and street lights.”
This summer, workers will load top soil onto the three-foot square tree wells cut into the sidewalk, each well a home awaiting its own tree. “They can't plant trees in the summer,” Sandino explained. “In September, when it starts raining, they can start planting the trees.”
PBOT planners talked to the property owners along the street, mostly businesses, asking what kind of trees they would like planted. Most were not choosy; only one wanted a special variety. “They don't really grow that tall because of the power lines,” Sandino said. “So we have to just plant trees that are not too tall or too wide that are not going to block the view of pedestrians and vehicles.”
An arborist works with PBOT to determine if existing trees are diseased or damaged and need removal. About four trees will be removed. “We talked to the property owner, and he wanted those trees gone,” Sandino said. “They were actually in bad shape.”
One of the property owners tore down half a dozen boarded-up houses along the street, leaving only one standing. A large empty lot is fenced off; it will be developed later after the sidewalk is built.
Sue Lewis, PDC project manager for Phase II, said ideas for how to revamp 102nd Avenue percolated up from the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Gateway Regional Center Urban Renewal Area, which met over the past few years. PAC members suggested many details, including continuation of the hanging banners, covered with graphic symbols representing the area. Similar banners were installed in Phase I of the Streetscape project, which added sidewalks and lights from Northeast Weidler Street to Northeast Glisan Street on both sides of Northeast 102nd Avenue.
The banners create a sense of place, Lewis said. “To know that where you're at, you're in an area that's more pedestrian friendly, more welcoming and inviting.”
Anne Mangan, communications director for PDC, added, “It's a symbol of unity in the neighborhood, something that the neighborhood collectively feels represents what's there, and it's something they can take pride in as being an attractive addition to the neighborhood.”
Christopher Masciocchi, the local graphic artist who created the banners, said images he chose represent activities or places characteristic of Gateway or the nearby area: MAX light rail, the Portland airport, Glendoveer Golf Course, cycling on the multiuse path, rock climbing at Rocky Butte, Douglas fir trees and Mount Hood.
Each of the roughly 24-by-48-inch banners is made of powder-coated aluminum, and shows the Gateway arch at the top laser-cut out from the metal, permitting airflow. The images at the bottom are printed on adhesive vinyl, so they can be removed and changed if people want a different image later. “The end result is a very durable installation,” Masciocchi said. “The problem with east Portland is it's a huge area, and it lacks a coherent identity. The thought was by adding these banners as you go down 102nd Avenue, you would start to see that this is a place that's unified and has coherence.”
Phase I of the project started in the winter of 2008 and was completed in November of that year, according to Dan Layden, PBOT project manager for that phase of the project.
The cost was just under $5 million, coming from a federal transportation grant and matching funds from PDC.
PBOT bought the right of way to widen the sidewalks to the standard 15 feet. “Not all of it is 15 feet but most of it is,” Layden said.
Construction included colored permeable pavers in the first four feet of the sidewalk. Those features were dropped from Phase II because of maintenance problems, Layden said.
Workers also added several vegetated stormwater swales, streetlights and trees. All the required swales were added in Phase I, so none were needed in Phase II.
They also landscaped and added storm water improvements at Northeast 102nd Avenue and Northeast Weidler Street, as well as the island where Northeast 102nd Avenue turns into the Halsey-Weidler couplet and the “jug handle” turnaround just north of Northeast Weidler Street.
Layden said people have questioned why all the grant money was spent in the Gateway area rather than other sections of east Portland. “The answer is we didn't have a choice,” Layden said. “That's where the grant was awarded. It was part of the Gateway Urban Renewal Area, and there was a major effort on the part of folks from Gateway to get the money. Congressman Blumenauer was very important in getting the first phase of the money because it was still in the days when there were earmarks, and the congressman could write into the bill that this money goes to here.”
Developed in 2006, that project was based on the Gateway Streetscape Plan.
Currently, there is not funding for Phase III of the project, which will extend new sidewalks from East Burnside Street to Southeast Stark Street. When developers built the Russellville senior apartments just south of East Burnside Street on Southeast 102nd Avenue a few years ago, they installed sidewalks alongside that building; construction work which was part of the Phase III design. “They've pretty much done a streetscape on that side, so we probably wouldn't modify that any,” Layden said. There is potential to do something on the other side of the street.”
No plans are afoot presently to seek grant money for that project, he said. “It's a more challenging phase,” he said, adding that some of the properties on that west side of Southeast 102nd Avenue have significant differences in grade. So far, funding is not imminent, he said.
Mike Wert, who lives near Northeast 104th Avenue, said he walks Northeast 102nd Avenue every day on his way to the MAX station to work. “It's sure an exciting project,” said Wert. “I think the whole project is going to be really positive for the neighborhood.” Although disappointed some of the trees would be removed, he added, “It will be an improvement to have the bigger sidewalks along there.”
Wert walks by vacant parcels of land along Northeast 102nd Avenue. “The sidewalk is old and it's uneven and it's narrow and there's a fence along it,” he said. “The wider sidewalks will be a lot nicer to walk along there. It's going to be really nice to have the street lighting on both sides of the street.”
Wert said at night, the area is very dark with the businesses closed and many vacant lots. “I don't want to say it's scary at night, but it's not optimal,” said Wert. “It's kind of dead zone. It needs some light in there.”
Wert is also excited about proposed flashing pedestrian beacon at the Northeast Davis Street walkway, which is part of the Streetscape plan.
Since the Davis Street walkway is shown as an official multiuse trail on the city's Bike/Walk map Wert suggested that instead of just the 'Ped' symbol sign, it would be great to have a 'Ped/Bike' sign at the new rapid-flash there. “It is so useful for bikes, too, and the sign with both markings would make it clearer to folks that bikes should be crossing there,” he said.
Sandino said he would ask the city traffic engineer to look at the sign at the Davis Street Walkway and make a determination about adding the bike designation.
 |
| Continuing the theme on along 102nd Avenue from Halsey Street, permanent aluminum banners with these graphics will adorn 102nd Avenue streetlights from Glisan to East Burnside Street when construction Phase II of the 102nd Avenue Streetscape project is completed in July. COURTESTY CHRISTOPHER MASCIOCCHI |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home