(Sept. 3, 2021) Smoother streets are on the way for several roads in Portland in the coming days, thanks to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Fixing Our Streets program funded by the city’s 10 cents per gallon fuel tax for repairing streets.
The projects are focused primarily on residential streets and neighborhood greenways with many of the improvements located adjacent to or nearby neighborhood schools. Nine street segments will receive a new-to-Portland paving treatment known as microsurfacing, which lays a thin layer of asphalt mixed with polymer fibers to damaged street surfaces. The result of this quick, cost-effective technique are smoother roads with longer lifespans. Crews apply the asphalt mixture to a street in a single day, first laying the material and then allowing for it to dry at least four to six hours before reopening the street to traffic.
The schedule for Fixing Our Streets microsurfacing is as follows:
Tues., Sept. 7:
- Final striping removal
Weds., Sept. 8:
- N Ida Avenue from N Central Avenue to N Smith Avenue
- N Houghton Street from N Haven to N Dana avenues
- N Michigan Avenue from N Rosa Parks Way to N Ainsworth Street
Thurs., Sept 9:
- NE Alberta Street from NE Cully Boulevard to NE 72nd Avenue
- N Tillamook Street from N Flint to N Williams avenues
- N Michigan Avenue from N Ainsworth Street to N Killingsworth Avenue
Fri., Sept. 10:
- N Michigan Avenue from N Webster to N Fremont streets
Mon., Sept. 13:
- NE 138th Place from NE Halsey to NE Sacramento streets
Tues., Sept. 14:
- SW Bertha Boulevard from SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway to SW Vermont Street
Crews will return to reapply street striping the week of Sept. 20.
Streets undergoing microsurfacing will be closed to all travelers. Sidewalks will remain open for pedestrians. We ask the public to travel slowly and cautiously in our work zones, observe all detours and directions by reader boards and flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible. This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.
Microsurfacing is a cost-effective treatment for streets in moderate condition. The total budget for the improvements is $460,000 and is funded by Fixing Our Streets. Learn more about Fixing Our Streets at www.fixingourstreets.com.