What's happening now?
During October 2025 PBOT staff developed a new concept to reduce the cost of the project, incorporate additional funding sources, and optimize safety improvements.
With a new design concept and a cost estimate (estimate forthcoming) PBOT staff can pursue funding and engage with stakeholders in more detail. This project is not currently funded.
Notes on October 2025 design concept:
2019 Concept:
- This design maintained in-street bike lanes, though it appeared to compromise sidewalk widths to do it.
- There is only 60 feet of ROW on the west leg of SW Garden Home Rd, so it was not possible to provide three traffic lanes, bike lanes, and full-width sidewalks without right-of-way (ROW) acquisition.
- The design maintained left turn access to the Old Market Pub and "north" SW 69th Ave, though it was a bit unconventional in that the left turn access to the Old Market Pub was unsignalized while the left turn to "north" SW 69th Avenue was signalized.
- It also maintained signalized egress out of "north" SW 69th Avenue
- However, it restricted "south" SW 69th Avenue to a stop-controlled intersection with right turns in and out as the only permitted movements.
- This would have required long and unintuitive out-of-direction travel for drivers originating from the east.
- Additionally, the egress movement from the Old Market Pub was also restricted to right turn only, and that movement was unsignalized.
- This design improved the intersection geometry with respect to the conflict between eastbound vehicles turning right to remain on SW Garden Home Road and conflicting eastbound cyclists or pedestrians in the southern crosswalk, though these movements still occurred permissively and required drivers to yield/stop for conflicting movements.
- This signal design was a bit simpler as there was one fewer approach that was signalized compared to the other alternative.
- However, the western crosswalk was in a less ideal location as it is shifted toward the eastern end of the project area, requiring pedestrians near "south" SW 69th Avenue to walk much further out of direction to reach a signalized crosswalk.
- This design required a lot of right-of-way acquisition from 6841 SW Garden Home Road, and it might have impacted their parking lot.
2025 Concept:
- This new design does a much better job handling conflicting movements, particularly between eastbound right turns and any cyclists or pedestrians in the southern crosswalk as those movements are completely separated in time.
- This design has better crosswalk placement and requires less out-of-direction travel for pedestrians regardless of their origin or destination.
- This design requires far less right of way acquisition and largely remains within existing rights of way.
- This new concept consolidates cyclists and pedestrians into the sidewalk corridor to maintain better sidewalk environment for pedestrians without right of way acquisition.
- A similar multiuse path concept was successfully built on NE 47th Avenue between NE Columbia Blvd. and NE Cornfoot Rd., also minimizing right of way acquisition.
- The 2019 can concept can be modified to also do this.
- This new concept maintains full signalized access in and out of "south" SW 69th Avenue, with the only restriction being no left turns permitted from westbound SW Garden Home Rd to "south" SW 69th Avenue southbound.
- This concept also provides a signalized egress from the Old Market Pub that allows traffic to depart in any direction via any street (either leg of SW Garden Home Road, SW Multnomah Blvd., or "south" SW 69th Avenue).
- The signalization is more complex, with an additional leg being accommodated; however, this phasing provides much better service to the public and to the Old Market Pub compared to the other alternative.
- This concept still maintains all left turn access in and out of "north" SW 69th Avenue, though this leg would not be signalized.
- A short two-way left turn lane is provided for eastbound left turns to this leg.
- The preferred concept closes the ingress driveway to the Old Market Pub and shifts it to a new driveway via "north" SW 69th Avenue.
- This will necessitate significant reconfiguration to the Old Market Pub parking lot.
Street Improvements
- "South" SW 69th Avenue
- Has been the subject of pothole complaints for many years
- Is not constructed to City standards, and
- Has not been accepted for maintenance by the City
- The layout assumes that this street would be reconstructed to the south property line of 7511 SW 69th Avenue
Sidewalk Improvements
- SW Garden Home Road
- The layout assumes a sidewalk on the north side of the street to "north" SW 69th Avenue, completing the missing sidewalk gap to the nearby SW Garden Home & Oleson intersection and accessing existing SW Oleson Road sidewalk
- The layout assumes a sidewalk on the south side of the street to the driveway serving 6864 SW Garden Home Road along its east property line, completing the missing sidewalk gap to the nearby SW Garden Home & Oleson intersection and accessing existing SW Oleson Road sidewalk
- "South" SW 69th Avenue
- The layout assumes a sidewalk on the east side of the street
- The layout assumes no sidewalk on the west side of the street due to current parking perpendicular to the right-of-way
Project Background
The intersection of SW Garden Home Road, SW Multnomah Boulevard, and SW 69th Avenue is a complex intersection with a history of nearby crashes involving people biking and driving. In 2018 and 2019 PBOT staff and consultants from Brad Taylor Group conducted outreach to community members to gather input on design options for the intersection of SW Garden Home Road and SW Multnomah Boulevard. Two options were presented, a roundabout and a traffic signal. After considering several factors including cost and community input, PBOT staff planned to move ahead with the signal option. The goals of the project were to reduce crashes, improve sight distance, address queueing issues, and provide safer, more comfortable pedestrian and bicycle access.
The City of Portland partnered with Washington County to fund the project. Washington County agreed to provide $1 million to the project through their Major Streets Transportation Improvement Program (MSTIP). The City of Portland allocated $1 million in System Development Charge (SDC) funds and $200,000 of Transportation Development Tax funds specifically designated for areas where Washington County and Portland overlap. Cost estimates in 2019 exceeded the initial $2.2 million budget and more funding was still needed to complete the project.
During the Covid-19 pandemic SDC revenues fell significantly, and the project was put on hold. The City of Portland was not able to identify a new funding source to complete the project. Washington County removed their MSTIP funding for the project shortly after. The City of Portland now has $200,000 remaining from Transportation Development Tax funds to make safety improvements at the intersection.
Next Steps
With a much smaller budget of $200,000, PBOT staff will consider exploring low-cost solutions to improve safety at the intersection. Updates will be shared on this web page and through the project email list.
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