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Outer Division Safety Project: Evaluation Report
The Outer Division Safety Project was constructed from summer 2021 to early 2023. PBOT staff collected data before and after the project construction to evaluate changes to speed, transit operations, emergency vehicle travel time, U-turn execution, and compliance with active transportation guidelines.
Read the evaluation report here.
Outer Division Safety Project: Community Experience Summary
After substantial completion of the Outer Division Safety Project at the end of 2022, PBOT staff engaged with 234 community members at 15 events along the corridor to understand community members’ experiences traveling on SE Division Street between 80th and 174th avenues. This engagement took place between February 2023 and April 2024.
PBOT staff hosted workshops and interactive booths at community events to connect with community members and entice them to complete the survey and talk about their experiences.
Most survey respondents feel that the project improved their experience along SE Division Street. At the same time, many expressed ambivalence or slight dissatisfaction with portions of the project.
How did the project impact people’s travel along the street?
60% of respondents stated that the project has had a positive or very positive impact on their ability to commute, work, play, or pray along the corridor.
People’s perception of the project’s impact on safety
Survey respondents overwhelmingly reported that every type of safety treatment on the corridor made travel feel “more safe” or “about the same.” These treatments include traffic signals with a red light, pedestrian crossings with flashing lights, pedestrian crossings with signage, protected bike lanes, bus stops, U-turns, and center medians.
General feelings about SE Division Street after project completion
63% of the survey respondents agreed with the statement “I feel positive about the changes on outer SE Division Street,” and only 16% of respondents disagreed with the statement.
The full report will be available on this website by July 1, 2024.
Outer Division Safety Project: Preliminary Economic Review
After construction of the Outer Division Safety Project, APANO’s Jade District program asked PBOT to conduct an economic review of the impact of the project on local businesses. PBOT staff collaborated with the City of Portland Revenue Division, accessed limited business records from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, and conducted a scan of economic impacts of transportation projects in other cities. These inputs informed the following high-level findings of economic changes on SE Division Street.
- After construction, local business openings on SE Division Street showed strong growth, doubling between the third quarters of 2022 and 2023. The increase in new business registrations was 104%, compared to 126% in the rest of Portland.
- The amount of available revenue data was too little to draw meaningful conclusions about changes to business incomes.
- Near-term business impacts along SE Division Street specific to the projects are unlikely. Global economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic during the projects' construction are difficult to disentangle.
Construction Update – June 2024
Work to Date:
Construction began in July 2021 and was substantially completed fall of 2022. Contractors will be completing minor finish and corrective work by June 30, 2024.
PBOT’s Outer Division Safety Project includes the following improvements:
- Raised center median between SE 80th and 174th to reduce left turn crashes and improve safety for pedestrians crossing SE Division
- 10 new traffic signals to improve safety for pedestrians crossing SE Division
- Protected bike lanes in each direction from SE 80th to 174th
- Street lighting at all new signalized crossings
- Accessible corner ramps at all improved crossing locations
- Pavement restoration on SE Division from 82nd-93rd
TriMet’s Division Transit Project
TriMet has completed construction of the Division Transit Project along SE Division. For more information on this project, please visit Division Transit Project (trimet.org)
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Existing conditions
Southeast Division Street is one of the most dangerous corridors in Portland. It ranks #1 for people killed or injured while walking, #1 for people killed or seriously injured in motor vehicles, and #2 for people killed or injured while bicycling. Just in the everyday act of moving about, 20 people have died and 107 have been seriously injured on SE Division in the last decade.
In a two-block stretch of SE Division Street, between SE 122nd and 124th avenues, there were nearly 90 crashes in a five-year period (2011-2015) as the below graphic shows. In more than half of those crashes, someone was injured or killed, and nine of those crashes involved a person walking or biking. Unfortunately, similar conditions are found throughout the area. PBOT designed this project with these types of crashes in mind. For example, the orange arrows show turning crashes. The center median that will be added to Division Street will significantly reduce left-turning crashes.
Project components
PBOT’s Outer Division Multimodal Safety Project includes safety measures to reduce unsafe driving. This includes lowering speeds, providing more frequent (and better) pedestrian crossings, and making the street safer for people bicycling. This includes:
- 10 more signalized pedestrian crossings
- New street lighting between SE 82nd and 92nd avenues in the Jade District and between SE 122nd and 130th avenues in the Division-Midway area.
- Protected bike lanes throughout the corridor
- Raised center median along most of the corridor to limit vehicles turning and reduce crashes
Funding
Funding for this project comes from the city's General Fund, Fixing Our Streets (the city's gas tax), Transportation System Development Charges, the cannabis tax, as well as funds from Oregon House Bill 2017.
Other projects in the same area
TriMet's Division Transit Project
TriMet’s Division Transit Project will improve travel between downtown Portland, Southeast and East Portland, and Gresham with easier, faster, and more reliable bus service. Construction is underway and the new transit service is expected to launch September 2022.
ODOT's All Road Transportation Safety Project at SE Division & I-205
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will improve safety at the interchange of I-205 and Division Street by reconfiguring lanes and improving intersections to reduce conflicts and crashes. This will include dedicated turn lanes and upgraded traffic signals. Buffered bike lanes will create space between bicycles and vehicles to reduce conflicts. New curb ramps will improve safety and accessibility for everyone, including people with disabilities. Construction is expected to begin spring 2021 and continue through the end of 2021.
PGE's Utility Relocations
Portland General Electric (PGE) is relocating and installing power poles and lines to support PBOT's Outer Division Multi-Modal Safety Project and TriMet's Division Transit Project. Construction is currently underway and is expected to be complete by March 2021.