(Sept. 13, 2022) - Construction begins Monday, Sept. 19 on the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) SW Capitol Highway Rose Lane Project. Construction will take place weekday evenings from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. and is expected to last for two weeks.
This Rose Lane Project will improve bus speed and reliability for eight bus lines running on SW Capitol Highway from SW Barbur Boulevard to SW Bertha Court. This project will benefit the bus riders who ride TriMet Lines 39, 44, 45, 54, 55, 56, 61, and 64.
“Together with our partners at TriMet, we’re excited to deliver more reliable public transportation to the Hillsdale community,” said PBOT Director Chris Warner. “During this pilot project we’ll work with neighbors, community groups, and businesses to ensure that PBOT delivers on its mission of speeding up transit service, making the street safer for people walking and biking, and maintaining access to so many of the Hillsdale businesses Portlanders know and love.”
“The Southwest community has been asking for improved public transit for many years and the SW Capitol Highway Rose Lane Project is a cost-effective investment in helping move more people through this neighborhood,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. “This project will help speed up eight bus routes, making it possible for more Portlanders to make climate-friendly transportation choices while improving the quality of life for current bus riders.”
“We are grateful for PBOT’s commitment to make Rose Lane improvements that bring real results for bus riders,” said TriMet Chief Operating Officer, Bonnie Todd. “These new transit priority lanes will help high school and community college students get to class on time, reduce delays for patients and medical professionals heading to OHSU and improve the commute for people in Southwest Portland who are doing business Downtown.”
SW Capitol Highway Rose Lane Project
Car traffic through Hillsdale remains below pre-pandemic levels. PBOT’s data shows this reallocation of road space will more effectively move people through the area.
The SW Capitol Hwy Rose Lane Project maintains easy access for drivers to visit Hillsdale businesses and their parking lots. This project will implement bus-and-turn lanes on SW Capitol Highway from SW Barbur Boulevard to SW Bertha Court, which allow car drivers to briefly use these lanes to turn into shopping centers, just as they do today.
An eastbound bus-and-turn lane will be installed from SW Bertha Court to SW Sunset Boulevard, and a westbound bus-and-turn lane will be installed from SW Sunset Boulevard to SW Barbur Boulevard. The bus lanes will be installed through reallocation of a general-purpose travel lane, helping buses move faster and more reliably during congested times. People driving may still use the new bus-and-turn lane to turn right into driveways and at intersections.
At SW Cheltenham Street and Capitol Highway, PBOT will further improve pedestrian safety by installing vertical elements and a high-visibility crosswalk at the intersection. The intersection treatment will reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians, improve pedestrian visibility and comfort, and slow vehicles approaching the intersection.
Using these lanes:
- Buses will continue straight through intersections.
- People in other vehicles will be able to turn right at intersections and use the lanes to reach business driveways and off-street parking.
Additionally, PBOT will improve pedestrian safety and comfort on SW Capitol Highway. PBOT will upgrade existing crosswalks at signalized intersections to high-visibility crosswalks.
Construction impacts
Construction activity will take place during weekday evenings, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The traveling public is advised to expect delays during construction. We ask the public to travel slowly and cautiously in work zones, observe directions by reader boards and flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible.
Expect dust, noise, vibrations, and heavy equipment near work zones. Expect odor from red and green colored lanes immediately after installation. Odor from red and green colored lanes dissipates within a couple of weeks. As always, please keep crews safe by following all traffic control signs and flaggers while travelling through or near work zones.
At least one lane of vehicle traffic in each direction will be maintained during construction. Pedestrian access will be maintained.
People riding transit should visit trimet.org/#alerts/ for the latest service impacts.
This work is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change.
PBOT will provide construction updates every two weeks on our website. To see the latest update and sign up for email updates, visit portland.gov/CapitolRL.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience while we complete this work.
After construction
Given current traffic volumes, PBOT anticipates minimal traffic impacts after construction is completed on this project.
The Capitol Highway Rose Lane Project may impact future auto capacity and routing decisions if traffic volumes return to pre-pandemic volumes. If auto traffic increases in the coming years, people driving may experience an additional 20 to 90 seconds of delay.
PBOT has published a draft Monitoring and Mitigation Memo to outline our approach to tracking and responding to potential project impacts. In spring 2022, PBOT visited community groups to gather input on where the bureau should focus its limited monitoring and mitigation resources.
After construction, PBOT will collect data on seven pre-identified streets near SW Capitol Highway to see how driver speed levels and traffic volumes have been impacted by the project. The first monitoring session will take place two-to-three months after construction. PBOT staff will analyze traffic patterns and speed levels a second time six months after construction.
PBOT will also observe how drivers use the bus-and-turn lanes on SW Capitol Highway during peak hours at three intersections. This data will help PBOT determine whether further operational changes are needed.
This project does not impact on-street parking.
About the Rose Lane Project
Through the Rose Lane Project, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is giving buses and streetcars priority on the road, helping more Portlanders get where they need to go more reliably and quickly. Learn more at portland.gov/transportation/rose-lanes.