Project Update
June 2025
The project's land use review is nearly complete, which is a key step in moving forward a design that meets the City’s standards for environmental protection. Construction is planned to begin in Spring 2026, with completion by Spring 2027.
During construction, most of Kelley Point Park will remain open, but the gravel canoe launch and parking lot near the entry to the park will be closed or have limited access.
Read more about construction impacts.
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Project Overview
View larger version of map above
Kelley Point Park is a 105-acre park located at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers in the St. Johns neighborhood in North Portland. Improvements are being planned to improve access and enhance natural resources. This project is made possible with support from Metro and Parks System Development Charges funding.
This project will construct a new bicycle/pedestrian trail connection to close the last major gap between Kelley Point Park and the Willamette Greenway / North Portland Greenway and provide a safe, accessible route for walking and rolling into Kelley Point Park and connecting with the existing park trail system.
Description of new trail:
- The new trail will be a 10’ wide paved asphalt trail, with 1’ wide shoulders, for non-motorized use only.
- It will begin on the southern edge of Kelley Point Park where the Willamette Greenway trail currently ends under the bridge near the intersection of N Lombard Street and Marine Drive.
- The trail will enter the park through a portion of natural area, then pass through the existing boat launch parking area.
- Past the boat launch, it will run along the existing roadway, with concrete dividers and delineation posts for clear traffic separation between cars and bicycles/pedestrians. The park road will be widened to maintain 2-way automobile traffic and restriped to match existing conditions (double yellow lines, fog lines, etc.).
- The trail will then enter into a natural area to connect to the existing trail system within Kelley Point Park.
- View map of trail route.
The trail alignment was designed with the following priorities:
- Ensure safety and accessibility for all users with a paved surface, wide path, and flat route that is separated from automobiles.
- Create an enjoyable recreation opportunity for rolling and strolling and increase access to nature.
- Protect sensitive environmental areas and tree impacts by selecting a route that minimizes development in environmental areas as much as possible.
Other improvements include:
- Adding a bench and repaving the connection to an outlook along the Columbia Slough portion of the trail.
- Restoring any areas of disturbance with native plantings and trees. As part of the land use requirements, PP&R is required to restore areas disturbed by construction with native vegetation that is similar to existing plantings in the park.
- New plantings in the main/northern parking lot to meet code requirements.
- Two new wayfinding signs will be added at the beginning and end of the trail to help users navigate to the nearby Marine Drive trail and the Lombard Street path, as well as the rest of Kelley Point Park.
See this map for more detail. The white dashed line on the map shows the new trail segment, and the orange line shows the existing trails.
Construction Impacts
During construction, the majority of Kelley Point Park will remain open, including the main parking lot, main road through the park, picnic areas, and most pathways.
The canoe launch near the entry of Kelley Point Park and its small parking lot will be closed or have limited access during construction (Spring 2026-Spring 2027). Find alternative paddling access sites along the Columba Slough.
Construction is currently planned to start in Spring 2026, and any additional construction impacts will be added as known.
Project Timeline
- Summer 2023 – Summer 2025: Design and Land Use Review
- Fall 2025 – Spring 2026: Permitting and Bidding
- Spring 2026 – Spring 2027: Construction