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Background
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is designing improvements for people walking, biking, and using transit on N Willamette Blvd.
This project will add 3 new miles of protected bikeway on N Willamette Blvd, connecting to existing facilities on N Rosa Parks Way, to create a continuous 5-mile connection from St Johns & Cathedral Park to NE MLK Jr Blvd. In addition to bikeway improvements, this project will add new pedestrian crossings, design for safer speeds, and improve access to transit for TriMet Line 44.
This project is funded in part by Metro’s Regional Flexible Funds grant for Active Transportation and is tentatively slated to begin construction in 2025.
Project Schedule
Please note that the schedule below is tentative and will be periodically updated as design progresses.
- 2023-2024: Design and right of way process continue for the Active Transportation Corridor Project
- Winter 2023-2024: ADA curb ramp construction for the Paving and Striping Maintenance Project
- Curb ramp construction will likely begin in mid October with the goal of wrapping up by the end of 2023
- Spring or summer 2024: Quick Build Bike Lane Extension Project construction
- Summer 2024: PBOT maintenance crews repave and stripe the section of N Willamette Blvd between N Portsmouth Ave and N Carey Blvd
- Winter 2025: Design of the Active Transportation Corridor Project finishes, and project is published for construction contractor bidding process
- Summer 2025: Construction begins on the Active Transportation Corridor Project, likely lasting 12 months
Project Scope
Above is a map showing the N Willamette Active Transportation Corridor Project. PBOT understands that this map is not accessible for users of assistive technology. Due to the complexity of the information the map provides and the currently available map platforms at the city, it will take some time to make adjustments. We thank you for your patience while we work on a technology-based solution. As we work toward providing accessibility, please contact email address and/or program name phone number to reach PBOT staff who can assist you to get the data you need from the map. You can also contact PBOT’s ADA Coordinator at Lisa.Strader@portlandoregon.gov or at 503-823-5703.
Again, thank you for your understanding and patience.
Protected bike lanes:
Protected bike lanes create a physically separate facility for bicyclists within the same right-of-way as general vehicle traffic. These facilities are some of the safest infrastructure options for cyclists since they reduce potential conflicts between bicyclists and other transportation modes. In order to realize this goal, most on-street parking along N Willamette Blvd between N Richmond and N Rosa Parks Way will be removed to provide adequate space for a world-class, safe, protected bikeway design.
More frequent, safer crossings:
Today, there are few improved crossings along N Willamette Blvd. This project will build on citywide policy and guidance outlined in the PedPDX Plan and Vision Zero Strategy to add new, frequently spaced pedestrian crossings along the entire stretch of the corridor. The highest level of investment will focus on crossings with bus stops that are identified on the Safe Routes to School network, and at the intersection of existing and future bikeways.
New and Improved Crossings:
| New and Improved Crossing | Funding Source |
|---|---|
| N Mohawk Ave – new crossing | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Tyler Ave – new crossing | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Macrum Ave – new crossing | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Wall St – new crossing | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Monteith – new crossing | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Edgewater – crossing upgrade | North Portland in Motion (NOPIM) |
| N Ida Ave – transit investments | Regional Flexible Funding Grant (RFFA) |
| N Wabash – transit investments | Regional Flexible Funding Grant (RFFA) |
| N Rosa Parks – major crossing upgrade | Regional Flexible Funding Grant (RFFA) |
Safer vehicle speeds:
We have heard time and time again about excessive vehicle speeds along N Willamette Blvd. In addition to reducing the speed limit along the entire corridor from 30mph to 25mph ahead of project delivery, PBOT plans to add fire-friendly speed cushions to the entire project footprint (N Richmond Avenue to N Rosa Parks Way).
Better bus stops:
PBOT is implementing new and improved bus stops on transit routes with bicycle facilities. Two (2) bus stops along N Willamette Blvd will be improved through this process, the stops at N Ida Ave and N Wabash Ave. These bus stops will be equipped with ADA accessible platforms that bicyclists can bike behind, eliminating the potential conflict between buses and bikes. Some bus stops may be eligible for upgrades, such as shelters and benches.
On-Street Parking Removal and Mitigation
To provide safe and comfortable bike lanes on Willamette Blvd that meet our guidelines, PBOT plans to remove nearly all the on-street parking space on N Willamette Blvd from Rosa Parks Way to Richmond Ave as part of this project. The only exception will be the parking cut-out on the south side of N Willamette Blvd from Portsmouth Ave to Van Houten Ave adjacent to the University of Portland.
To assess the impacts of this parking removal, PBOT conducted a parking occupancy study looking at N Willamette Blvd as well as surrounding blocks in either direction. The parking study indicates that the number of cars currently parking along Willamette Blvd can be easily accommodated on the side streets on the adjacent blocks. In other words, there is substantial spare on-street parking capacity on the closest streets to Willamette Blvd. This means most residents on Willamette Blvd will only need to park roughly one block further away than they are accustomed to currently.
We also found that off-street parking is plentiful along N Willamette Blvd. Nearly all properties have access to off-street parking via driveways or alleys, and it appears much of this space is under-utilized. While we recognize some residents may prefer to use on-street parking for convenience, the presence of so much off-street parking means that removal of on-street parking has less of a negative impact on affected properties.
Recognizing that on-street parking may be needed for people with disabilities without off-street parking, the project team will consider parking cut-outs in the furnishing zone in the following limited circumstances:
- The property does not have any off-street parking via driveway or alley; AND
- A resident of the property has a Disabled Person Parking Permit
2024 Maintenance and Quick Build Projects on N Willamette Blvd
While design work continues for the next year on the Willamette Boulevard Active Transportation Corridor Project, some complementary paving and bike lane improvements are planned for construction in 2024.
2024 Paving and Striping Maintenance Project: PBOT maintenance crews will pave a section of N Willamette Blvd between N Portsmouth Ave and N Carey Blvd. Rather than replacing the existing striping as-is, crews will stripe this section to align with the future protected bike lanes and other improvements slated for construction in 2025-2026. This allows us to avoid grinding out striping on brand new pavement. The restriping will remove all remaining on-street parking on Willamette between N Portsmouth Ave and N Carey Blvd, except for the south side of one block -- N Van Houten Ave to N Portsmouth Ave.
2024 Quick Build Bike Lane Extension Project: The bike lanes on N Willamette Blvd currently end just west of N Alma Ave. This missing piece of the bike network was identified as a strong community desire during the North Portland in Motion planning process. PBOT plans to stripe buffered bike lanes adjacent to the curb to close this gap. On-street parking will be removed on N Willamette Blvd in this area. Then as part of the larger capital project in 2025-2026, construction crews will add concrete traffic separators in the buffer areas.