Project Background
The 50s Bikeway alignment was identified during the outreach and development of the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan and reconfirmed in the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030.
Project Components
As part of the project, six major street crossings along the route were upgraded to improve safety for people walking and bicycling. Crossing improvement techniques will vary by location but will include a combination of curb extensions and medians in addition to a pedestrian flashing beacon at SE Woodward Street and a hybrid beacon at E Burnside Street.
To further improve neighborhood livability and address residents’ concerns at two key intersections, cut-through traffic is diverted at SE 52nd Avenue and Division Street and NE 53rd Avenue and Burnside Street.
The northern portion of the route takes the shape of a neighborhood greenway on 52nd and 53rd avenues, with signage and bicycle symbols called sharrows painted on residential streets from NE Sacramento Street to SE Division Street.
On the southern portion, from SE Division Street to SE Woodstock Boulevard, the City installed six-foot-wide painted bicycle lanes on either side of 52nd Avenue. To provide the necessary space, parking was removed from the east side of the street.
Project Funding
$1.5 million in federal transportation funds.
Public Involvement
In addition to public presentations at open houses, the project involved the guidance of a 17-member citizens’ advisory committee made up of representatives from the neighborhood and business associations along the route.