Thank you for your interest in the SW Capitol Highway Complete Streets project. With this project, the Portland Bureau of Transportation is aiming to improve pedestrian crossings and access to transit, reduce crashes, reduce speeds, and enhance existing bike facilities on SW Capitol Highway between Huber Street and Kerr Parkway. Here's an update:
Crossings at Dickinson and Coronado Streets
PBOT is constructing crosswalks, accessible curb ramps, and center median islands at the intersections of SW Capitol Highway and Dickinson Street as well as SW 49th Avenue and Coronado Street as part of Phase II of the Capitol Highway Complete Streets project.
There's been complications with the design and stormwater drainage, but PBOT is working diligently to get this into construction as quickly as possible.
Phase I: Complete!
In Phase I, PBOT:
• Restriped the four-lane roadway to two lanes with a center turn lane
• Installed new street lighting at Alfred, Coronado, and Dickinson Streets to make people walking more visible
• Enhanced the existing crossing at Alfred Street
• Added plastic bollards to existing bike lanes and added parking protected bike lanes
• Marked the crosswalk across SW Capitol Highway at 49th Avenue
• Built a curb extension at the southwest corner of Stephenson Court to improve visibility from the side street
Preliminary Data on SW Capitol Highway
The first round of data about the impact of the project has been collected – view this raw data here:
We are especially encouraged by the substantial decrease in both the number of people speeding (people driving over the posted speed of 35 mph) and people top-end speeding (people driving 45 mph or higher).
Additionally, the increase in travel time between Huber and Kerr Parkway appears within what PBOT anticipated by traffic modeling before the project.
We will continue to monitor travel on the corridor. We will publish a project evaluation report later this year.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
About the project
SW Capitol Highway has been identified as a High Crash Corridor in PBOT’s Vision Zero plan. Vision Zero is a top Portland transportation priority that aims to eliminate deadly and serious injuries from Portland streets. Vision Zero includes improving safety so that people feel comfortable walking, biking, and taking transit along all Portland streets. PBOT's goals for the SW Capitol Highway Complete Streets project include:
• Reduce speeds
• Reduce crashes
• Improve pedestrian crossings
• Improve access to transit
• Enhance existing bike facilities