throughout the summers of 2025 and 2026
The maintenance overhaul of 82nd Avenue begins a new phase, with paving crews planning to repave two miles of the corridor from May through October 2025 and 2026. Travelers should expect delays, lane closures, noise and dust from heavy construction equipment like this PBOT asphalt grinding machine. Photo by PBOT.
(May 15, 2025) - The Portland Bureau of Transportation's safety and maintenance upgrade of 82nd Avenue enters a new era, with months of work to provide new, smooth pavement and replace failing sections of roadway starting on Tuesday, May 27 and continuing on weekdays this summer and summer of 2026.
The first section of paving will take place on NE 82nd Avenue between NE Beech and Fremont streets. Contractors will then pave additional segments of the corridor between NE Siskiyou and NE Thompson streets and between SE Mill and SE Brooklyn streets.
The existing pavement on NE/SE 82nd Avenue is severely deteriorated in these sections, with cracking and water infiltration that extends below the surface of the roadway.
"The basic maintenance upgrade of 82nd Avenue that the community has called for for so many years is on its way," said Deputy City Administrator of Public Works Priya Dhanapal. "We ask the public's patience as our contractors remove and replace large sections of failing pavement to create a durable road surface that will serve the community for decades to come. This adds to the other safety and maintenance updates that PBOT and contractors have been implementing since 2022. Please use caution when traveling near our work zones, and do what you can to support area businesses."
“82nd Avenue Business Association members appreciate the road improvements planned for our main street. This vibrant and diverse business community looks forward to more people visiting our establishments and sampling our foods from around the world,” said Jacob Loeb, President of the 82nd Avenue Business Association. “However, we hope people will not wait until crews complete the work. Our small businesses depend on customers showing up throughout the year, and their patronage during construction would be the best way to show support."
Full details, updates available from PBOT
Paving this summer will begin in NE Portland and move to different sections, roughly a month at a time. From week to week, work schedules are weather dependent, but hours are expected to generally stay between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
To learn more about the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project, including updates on construction throughout the summer, and to sign up to receive construction updates by email or text message, visit portland.gov/82nd-MM.
Schedule and map at a glance
A map of 82nd Avenue between NE Sandy and SE Powell boulevards highlights areas of paving and start dates for each area. Map by PBOT.
The schedule for paving 82nd Avenue, from NE to SE, in 2025:
- NE Beech to Fremont is anticipated to begin May 27;
- NE Siskiyou to Russell begins mid-June;
- NE Russell to Thompson begins mid-September, weather permitting;
- SE Mill to Harrison begins mid-July;
- SE Harrison to Clinton begins mid-August; and
- SE Clinton to Brooklyn begins October, weather permitting.
The schedule is weather-dependent and subject to change.
Work includes excavation of outside lanes,
grind & pave inside lanes, new median islands and street trees
As 82nd Avenue transitioned from a country road to an urban workhorse, it was never upgraded to modern standards. Initially, the inner lanes were built to handle highway traffic, and the outside lanes were built to a lower standard, intended to accommodate on-street parking.
So, on the inside three lanes, crews need to grind off the top layer of asphalt and replace it with 3 inches of fresh blacktop.
On the outside lanes, crews with PBOT contractor Raimore Construction will dig down below the road surface and remove the damaged pavement with large excavation equipment. Once excavation and construction of the roadway base are complete, they will lay 13 inches of new asphalt pavement on top of the new road base. The combination of these layers of materials can support freight, buses and other modern traffic demands.
Travelers in the area of the work zones will observe construction on the western lanes first, then the eastern lanes – starting with the outside lanes and then the inside lanes on each side. This work will ensure a durable driving surface that will last for decades to come.
Lastly, contractors will construct concrete median islands. Trees will be planted in some of the concrete median islands later this fall and winter, or fall 2026, when the rainy season can help them get established for long-term health.
Step by step major maintenance upgrade of 82nd Avenue
This graphic shows a northbound view of 82nd Avenue, a five-lane street with two lanes in each direction and a center turn lane. Text explains the order of the paving process. Graphic by PBOT.
One lane in each direction on 82nd Avenue will remain open during construction. People driving, biking and taking transit on NE/SE 82nd Avenue can expect delays, especially during the morning and evening commutes.
Driveway access will be impacted temporarily during outer lane excavation and paving, and contractors will coordinate with individual businesses to limit driveway access disruptions. Pedestrian access will be maintained.
In late May and early June, active construction will also be underway along NE/SE 82nd Avenue at:
In late May and early June, active construction will also be underway along NE/SE 82nd Avenue at:
- NE Siskiyou between 82nd and 83rd avenues – Select pavement repair will require a side street closure beginning Wednesday, May 28 at 7 a.m. The road will reopen on Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m. NE Siskiyou will remain open to pedestrians and people bicycling.
- NE Eugene – Underground sump installation will require lane closures.
- NE Tillamook – Underground work will require lane closures.
- SE Harrison – Underground electrical work and ADA corner ramp construction will require lane closures.
- SE Mill between 82nd and 83rd avenues – Underground work and sidewalk construction will require occasional side street closures. Vehicle traffic will be detoured to SE Harrison. SE Mill will remain open to pedestrians and people bicycling.
- SE Taggart – Underground work and ADA corner ramp construction will require lane closures.
- SE Brooklyn – Underground work and ADA corner ramp construction will require lane closures.
What to expect during construction
- This summer, the public can expect travel lane closures on 82nd Avenue and full closures of side streets that intersect 82nd Avenue.
- Typical work hours will be 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required.
- At least one travel lane in each direction and adjacent businesses on 82nd Avenue will remain open during construction, but the traveling public is advised to expect delays. People closest to the work zone can expect dust, noise, vibrations, and heavy equipment in the area, including road sweepers cleaning the street to remove construction debris.
- PBOT will provide periodic updates throughout construction. To sign up for construction updates by email or text message, visit the project website.
82nd Avenue Major Maintenance project improvements will:
- Replace the pavement curb-to-curb in key areas, and excavate and replace broken pavement the outer two travel lanes.
- Replace traffic signals and update intersections with modern signs and street markings.
- Provide safe and comfortable places for people to cross 82nd Avenue by installing pedestrian signals, bicycle signals (at neighborhood greenways), and median refuge islands.
- Reduce the risk of serious injuries and fatalities for all people traveling by installing median islands and traffic lane separators in areas with a high crash history.
- Improve accessibility by updating or replacing 140 ADA curb ramps for people using mobility devices, wheelchairs, and strollers.
- Build or upgrade more than 10,000 linear feet of sidewalk.
- Improve stormwater and drainage.
Thanks to the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), as part of this project, PBOT will plant more than 175 trees along 82nd Avenue, to mitigate the impact of extreme heat events.
Stay up to date by email, text message
and website
To learn more about the 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project
and to sign up for construction updates, visit portland.gov/82nd-MM.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience while we Build a Better 82nd.
For project information, contact
PBOT 82nd Avenue Project team
Email: 82ndavenue@portlandoregon.gov
Phone: 503-865-8282
About Building a Better 82nd
Building a Better 82nd Avenue is a collection of safety and maintenance projects, policies, and programs to address urgent needs for 82nd Avenue. Construction of improvements will occur in different locations of the corridor from NE Lombard to SE Clatsop. In recognition of the need for critical safety improvements for 82nd Avenue, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) established the Building a Better 82nd Avenue Program in 2022, following the transfer of roadway ownership and management from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to the City of Portland.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the City’s transportation system, and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. portlandoregon.gov/transportation