What's happening now?
PBOT has collaborated with property owners, neighborhood associations and other stakeholders to improve the confusing names of streets in the Columbia / Lombard Corridor.
Changes to addresses and street names were effective on May 2, 2022 with a one-year transition period for old addresses through May 1, 2023. The U.S. Postal Service confirmed on April 14, 2023 that there will be a grace period in which mail would continue to be delivered to old addresses between May 3, 2023 and October 31, 2023. Beginning November 1, 2023 mail sent to old addresses will be returned to sender.
A contractor has completed the replacement of I-205 freeway signage for Exit #23B. Signage at the exit and in advance of the northbound and southbound exits were replaced to reference Lombard Street instead of Killingsworth Street. The work zone was from Government Island (I-205 southbound from Vancouver, Washington) to Gateway (I-205 northbound from its junction with Interstate 84). Sign installation began on June 16, 2023 and was completed on August 15, 2023.
PBOT Maintenance Operations has removed old street name signs and installation of PBOT ground-mounted street signage is complete.
Two signalized intersections' overhead-mounted street signage were replaced on May 7, 2024, which were the final items of work on this project:
- NE Lombard St. & Columbia Parkway West at NE 87th Avenue
- NE Lombard St. & Columbia Parkway East at NE 89th Avenue
Project Background
In Northeast Portland, Columbia Boulevard is north of the Kenton Line railroad tracks while Lombard Street is generally parallel to the south, with few grade crossings to correct for wayfinding errors, particularly for operators of freight vehicles and large trucks.
As a result, wayfinding errors were common in this corridor. With new industrial and living wage jobs coming to area, opportunities for wayfinding errors would increase with future development in the absence of this project.
Although the combined length of renamed street segments were long with very high traffic volumes, fewer than 150 properties were readdressed on street segments that were renamed. Many properties abutting the renamed street segments are quite large in area. Properties which abut the renamed street segments were addressed from intersecting local streets or private streets in most cases had no address change. All except one address changes were to the street name only, with no change to the address number itself and the boundary between North and Northeast Portland did not change.
The Planning & Sustainability Commission approved this project on September 24, 2019. City Council approved the project on July 22, 2020 with the passage of Ordinance Nos. 190065, 190066, 190067, 190068, 190069, 190070, 190071, 190072 and 190073. Changes to addresses and street names were effective on May 1, 2022. PBOT street sign changes will occur throughout the month of May 2022. I-205 freeway sign changes related to Exit 23B changing from Killingsworth Street to Lombard Street will occur in Fall 2022.
List of Wayfinding Improvements:
N. Lombard Street from N. Burgard Rd. to the N. Kelly Point Park Rd. & N. Marine Dr. intersection was renamed as N. Columbia Blvd.
N. Burgard Rd. from the current N. Lombard St. / N. Columbia Blvd. intersection to the 10900 block of N. Lombard St. was renamed as N. Lombard St.
N. Columbia Blvd. Frontage Road from N. Bliss St. to N. Buchanan Ave. is separated by a berm from N. Columbia Blvd. and was renamed as N. Johnswood Dr. This is the only local street in North Portland which was renamed; all other renamed streets are arterials.
NE Lombard Pl. from the NE 11th Avenue & Lombard St. intersection to the NE Columbia Blvd. & Lombard Pl. intersection east of NE 17th Avenue was renamed as NE Lombard Ct.
NE Portland Hwy. from underneath the NE 42nd Avenue Bridge at the current eastern terminus of NE Lombard St. to NE Killingsworth St. was renamed as NE Lombard St.
NE Columbia Blvd. from the former NE Columbia Parkway to NE 92nd Drive was renamed as NE Columbia Ct. NE Columbia Blvd. from NE 92nd Drive to the former NE Killingsworth Street was renamed as NE 92nd Drive. These are the only local streets in Northeast Portland which were renamed; all other renamed streets are arterials.
NE Columbia Pkwy. from the former NE Columbia Blvd. to the former NE Killingsworth Street was be renamed as NE Columbia Blvd.
NE Killlingsworth St. from the former NE Portland Hwy. & Killingsworth St. intersection to Interstate 205 was renamed as NE Lombard Street and is being coordinated with changes to Interstate 205 freeway guide signage on I-205 southbound from Vancouver, Washington and on I-205 northbound from Mall 205.