What’s Happening Now?
The SW Capitol Hill Road Sidewalk Infill project team has completed 95% plans. During the 95% cost estimate review, the project team determined there is not enough remaining project funds to construct all of the segments on SW Capitol Hill Road. The project team is doing further analysis to see if there is one segment on SW Capitol Hill Road that PBOT can design and construct. The team hopes to have this finalized by the end of December 2025.
Last updated November 6, 2025.
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Project Design
SW Capitol Hill Road Sidewalk
- Northern Segment (W) (approx. 70 feet)
- SW 19th Avenue to SW Nevada Court (E) (approx. 420 feet)
- SW Moss Street to SW Troy Street (W) (approx. 150 feet)
- South Segment connecting Safeway to West Hills Christian School (W) (100 feet)
- SW Troy St/SW Canby Ct Sidewalk: SW 30th Ave to SW 28th Ave (S)
- SW Capitol Hill Rd Sidewalk: SW Troy St to A Park (W)
SW Capitol Hill Road Bike Infrastructure: New bike infrastructure will be installed where space allows and on uphill segments
- Striped bike lane south of SW Bertha Boulevard (W) (approx. 240 feet)
- Striped bike lane in front of West Hills Christian School (W) (approx. 600 feet)
- Sidewalk level bike lane from the south side of West Hills Christian School to the west side of Safeway (W) (approx. 100 feet)
Project Background
Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge (LTIC)
In 2016 City Council adopted the Local Transportation Infrastructure Charge (LTIC), a fee that developers pay along unimproved streets in single-family zoning areas as an alternative to constructing sidewalks. Council then directed PBOT staff to develop an investment strategy for these funds. Using a methodology that included equity, effectiveness and efficiency, staff developed and Council adopted a strategy to invest collected LTIC funds in three areas: Cully in northeast Portland, Division-Midway in outer southeast Portland, and the Tryon-Stephens headwaters area in southwest Portland. These three areas had high needs in terms of unimproved streets that serve as important routes to neighborhood destinations, and underserved populations including high proportions of people of color, people with lower incomes, and people that rent their homes. The three areas also had neighborhood street plans adopted by City Council, identifying locations for investment.
In the Tryon Creek and Stephens Creek watersheds of southwest Portland, the goal of the project is to strategically invest in streets that lead to important destinations such parks, schools, and frequent transit lines, and that have stormwater issues such as erosion and flooding that need to be addressed. In addition, investment in the West Portland Park neighborhood is a commitment to equity in one of the most diverse areas of southwest Portland.
Exclusion of the SW Capitol Hill Rd Segment between 7128 SW Capitol Hill Rd and 6877 SW Capitol Hill Rd
When this project was initially scoped in 2017, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) anticipated that future development on the site currently occupied by Habitat for Humanity would include the construction of a sidewalk as part of frontage improvements. However, during the development review process, Habitat for Humanity was granted an exemption from standard sidewalk construction requirements.
Instead of a traditional sidewalk, Habitat for Humanity will construct a concrete multi-use path (MUP) with pedestrian-scale lighting. This alternative path, which will be located adjacent to their facility, was approved as an alternative due to the significant environmental and site constraints present along SW Capitol Hill Road. While the MUP will serve as an interim pedestrian facility, it will not meet full Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards due to steep grade changes and site limitations. Additionally, the path will only extend along the Habitat for Humanity frontage, with the southern segment remaining unimproved—currently consisting of an informal trail—and connecting back down to Capitol Hill Road via stairs.
Several factors influenced the decision to allow a multi-use path instead of a standard sidewalk:
- Environmental Impact: Constructing a sidewalk closer to the roadway would have required extensive grading and removal of approximately 98 trees. The current design, which incorporates the MUP, aims to reduce tree removal to around 50 trees.
- Site Constraints and Zoning: The steep terrain and environmental zoning along SW Capitol Hill Road made sidewalk construction extremely challenging from both an engineering and regulatory perspective.
- No Pay-in-Lieu Mechanism: At this time, there is no mechanism available for applicants to provide off-site improvements or pay fees in lieu of construction. As a result, sidewalk construction on the east side of Capitol Hill Road is not currently feasible for this development.
- Public Works Alternative Approval: In a prior Early Assistance review for the larger church site, PBOT approved a Public Works Alternative that includes a 15-foot-wide Public Pedestrian Easement (PPE) with wayfinding signage and lighting, along with a 14-foot right-of-way dedication along SW Capitol Hill Road for future transportation needs.
PBOT’s upcoming Capitol Hill Road project will connect to the newly constructed multi-use path at its northern end, improving pedestrian continuity in the area as part of a phased approach to long-term accessibility and infrastructure improvements.
Project Timeline
Topographic survey: 2021 - 2022
Design engineering: March 2023 - February 2026
Public Involvement: August- September 2023; March- April 2024; December 2025- January 2026
Right-of-Way: January- September 2026
Construction: TBD
Public Involvement
2025
- November
Presentation: PBOT staff gave a project update at the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association
- July
- Email Newsletter: Project update to be sent to residents after 95% design phase is complete
2024
- October
- Postcards: Mailed postcards to project corridor and property owners to notify them of upcoming PBOT right-of-way process.
- September
- SW Sunday Parkways: The project team will be tabling at SW Sunday Parkways with a poster board of the design
- Email Newsletter: Sent an email newsletter updating residents of the latest design and inviting folks to join SW Sunday Parkways
- March
- Email Newsletter: Sent an email newsletter inviting SW Portlanders to join the Southwest Neighborhoods Inc Transportation Committee Meeting on Zoom, Monday March 18th 7:00- 9:00pm
- Presentation: PBOT staff gave a presentation of the updated project design and reviewed background information
2023
- November
- Email Newsletter: Sent an email newsletter update containing community survey results, project status, and next steps.
- October
- Meeting with Multnomah Neighborhood Association (MNA): Joined MNA for a bike ride along project corridor and attended MNA open house.
- September
- Presentation: Presented project to SW Trails and got feedback about the design
- Virtual Survey: Online survey open for one month gathering feedback about the design and collected data about preferences
- Open House: Held two virtual open houses on Sep 13th and Sep 14th to give an overview of the design and gather feedback from the community about several design elements. Tryon-Stephens: Capitol Hill Rd & Troy Canby Street Improvements Virtual Open House 9/13/23
- Postcards: Sent postcards to the surrounding neighborhood alerting them about the project and inviting them to the virtual open houses.
- August
- Flyered: Project team distributed flyers to homes located on SW Troy and SW Capitol Hill Rd with project information, online survey, and open house dates to homes on SW Capitol Hill Rd and SW Troy.
- Tabled: Tabled at Multnomah Days with a poster board displaying improvements and received community feedback about the project.
Project Funding
This project has a budget of $2,416,000.
Most project funding comes from LTIC as described above. Other funding on the project includes:
- General Fund: Discretionary city funds authorized by City Council, under the “Up Out of the Mud” initiative
- Portland Bureau of Environmental Services: PBOT is in a partnership with BES due to the need to upgrade stormwater management infrastructure in the project area
- SW Trails, Inc transferred grant funds to PBOT from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Relief Fund Grant to build sidewalk on SW Capitol Hill Rd from SW 19th Ave to SW Nevada Ct.