(June 6, 2019) PBOT's Fixing Our Streets program broke ground on a major new sidewalk project in East Portland today. The $1.7 million project will build over 3000 feet of new sidewalk (the equivalent of 15 downtown city blocks) on the east side of NE 148th from NE Halsey Street to NE Glisan Street.
The project will fill existing gaps in the sidewalk, creating a contiguous sidewalk along this important street. Nine corner ramps and fifteen driveways will also be updated during construction to bring them up to current ADA standards. Thanks to the Fixing Our Streets funding, Portlanders will have an easier and safer time reaching Halsey HydroPark, Glenfair Elementary and the TriMet bus stops on Halsey and Glisan. The project will be finished by winter 2019.
The NE 148th project is one of the final two sidewalk projects funded by Fixing Our Streets. The other project -- SW Capitol Highway from Multnomah Village to West Portland -- will start in the fall.
By the end of 2019, Portlanders will enjoy 48 new blocks of sidewalks, thanks to Fixing Our Streets.
PBOT has also used Fixing Our Streets to support more widely shared economic prosperity in Portland. At the start of the program, the agency pledged that 30% of Fixing Our Streets contracts would be awarded to D/M/W/ESB/SDVBE firms. PBOT has already far exceeded this goal. To date, more than two-thirds—68%—of Fixing Our Streets low-bid contracts have gone to D/M/W/ESB/SDVBE firms. Interlaken, the construction firm responsible for the NE 148th project, is a D/M/W/ESB/SDVBE certified firm.
Last year, Fixing Our Streets funded projects that closed critical sidewalk gaps in other parts of East Portland, including along SE Flavel Street, NE 102nd Avenue and SE 112th Avenue. By closing the gaps between existing sidewalks, the projects created a full 2.25 miles of streets in East Portland with complete sidewalks on both sides on the street. The result is safer access for neighborhood residents to schools, public transit and work.
- On NE 102nd, the new sidewalks provide a much-needed safety improvement. 102nd Avenue is one of the most dangerous streets in Portland for pedestrians. PBOT’s Vision Zero Action plan ranks it in among the top 20 streets where pedestrians are killed or injured. The sidewalk provides a seamless walking route between Prescott Elementary and the Gateway Transit Center.
- On SE 112th, the new sidewalks improve walking connections along a large north-south corridor and connect destinations like Kelly Butte Natural Area, Floyd Light Middle School and Mall 205.
- On SE Flavel, new sidewalks make it safer to walk to the MAX Green Line, the I-205 Multiuse Path, the Springwater Corridor as well as shops and restaurants on 82nd Avenue.
All three projects were identified in the East Portland in Motion plan as having strong community support but remained unfunded until voters approved Measure 26-173, which created the Fixing Our Streets Program.
The voter-approved Fixing Our Streets Program has built sidewalks on busy streets, improving access to bus stops like this one on SE Flavel Street in the Lents neighborhood. Photo by Portland Bureau of Transportation.
The Fixing Our Streets program, paid for by a local gas tax approved by Portland voters in May 2016 and a heavy vehicle use tax, is Portland’s first local funding source for transportation. Fixing Our Streets is invested in street maintenance and safety improvements. The City Council ordinance included a project list that shows specific projects that are intended to be funded. The list of projects can be found at www.fixingourstreets.com.VIDEO: See how crews install ADA corner ramps that make our new sidewalk projects more accessible for everyone