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Project Background
The extension of S Bond Avenue continues over 20 years of planning and infrastructure provision to support redevelopment in the South Waterfront District. The City has been working with property owners, development teams, and other stakeholders to gradually transform this once largely industrial area into a thriving mixed-use community with a range of employment, housing, and retail options along with public amenities such as parks and trails. Realizing the vision for the district requires building a system of streets for people to access places by foot, mobility device, bike, transit, car, truck, and emergency vehicle.
Most of the South Waterfront District south of S Gibbs Street (the base of the Portland Aerial Tram) features an existing street grid built over the past 15 years. From S Gibbs Street northward to the Marquam Bridge, street infrastructure is limited and several large properties are in the planning and development process.
Street development in South Waterfront is guided by theSouth Waterfront Street Plan, Criteria and Standards, originally adopted in 1996 under the name North Macadam District Street Plan and most recently amended in December 2016. The document establishes the locations, classifications, physical characteristics, and design features of the desired street network in South Waterfront.
S Bond Avenue is intended to be a major north-south street serving the full length of South Waterfront and connecting it to the rest of the Central City, similar to S Moody Avenue today. Once complete in its entirety, S Bond Avenue will become a “couplet” with S Moody Avenue, with Bond hosting one-way northbound car and bike traffic while Moody handles southbound traffic. The street will be built in multiple phases. Construction of subsequent segments of S Bond Avenue will depend upon the timelines of adjacent development by the Zidell companies.
Project Design
Phase 1 of S Bond Avenue Extension has an “interim design” that includes one motor vehicle travel lane in each direction, a northbound separated bike lane, on-street parking, and temporary asphalt sidewalks. During this interim phase, Bond is open to motor vehicle traffic between S River Parkway and S Meade Street (an east-west street completed by OHSU in 2020). Between future S Meade Street and S Porter Street (Tilikum Crossing), Bond is open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic only.
As development occurs incrementally along S Bond Avenue, permanent improvements will be installed including concrete sidewalks, landscaping, and other design features. The timing of these permanent improvements will depend on the timelines of adjacent development, including the OHSU Schnitzer Campus and the South Waterfront Greenway.
Eventually, when S Bond Avenue is extended to S Whitaker Street (one block south of the Portand Aerial Tram), S Bond Avenue will be converted to one-way northbound vehicle and bicycle traffic, with southbound traffic served by S Moody Avenue.
Much of S Bond Avenue is elevated and built on retaining walls to match other streets and developments in the area, including the west landing of the Tilikum Crossing.
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Project Funding
The total cost of S Bond Avenue Extension Phase 1 (SW River Parkway to SW Porter Street) was approximately $13.5 million.
The S Bond Avenue Extension was a public/private partnership, with public funds coming from the North Macadam Urban Renewal Area administered by Prosper Portland, transportation system development charges (SDCs) administered by PBOT, and an Immediate Opportunity Fund grant from Business Oregon and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Property owners including OHSU and Zidell contributed to the project by performing environmental remediation and dedicating right-of-way.