SE 136th Avenue: Paving and Sidewalks-to-Opportunity Project
January 2021 Update
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and contractors continue to make progress on the construction of SE 136th Avenue between SE Foster Road and Division Street.
Here's what to expect now through Feb. 7:
- Sidewalk excavation between SE Steele and Harold streets.
- Concrete forming and concrete pours between SE Steele and Harold streets, as well as between SE Holgate Boulevard and Rhine Street.
- Coordination with various utility providers.
- New catch basins between SE Holgate Boulevard and Center Street.
Looking ahead, here's what to expect February to June:
February - April: excavation, forming/pouring concrete of sidewalks and ADA ramps on the west side of SE 136th Avenue.
April: paving, minor electrical work, street lighting.
May: Finishing up signs and striping; installing protected bike lanes; tree planting; installing mailbox supports.
We expect to be nearly done in May, with some minor construction into June.
Economic Impact
The SE 136th Paving and Sidewalks-to-Opportunity project will provide economic opportunities for a range of contracting firms. Of the $5.3 million construction contract, approximately $1.6 million will go to firms recognized by Oregon's Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID). COBID-certified firms are those categorized as disadvantaged, minority-owned, women-owned, emerging small businesses, or service-disabled veteran business enterprises.
Over the past four years, almost $20 million of Fixing Our Streets funding have been invested in COBID-certified firms, a majority of which are local companies in the Portland area.
PBOT is committed to increasing diversity, advancing equity, and fostering inclusion in everything that we do. PBOT’s Racial Equity Plan sets forth several objectives to fulfill this commitment. This includes very concrete goals about how we contract work, recognizing how specific communities have been historically excluded from the economic benefit of design and construction work.
For the SE 136th construction project, approximately 33% of the construction contract will go to COBID-certified firms, exceeding PBOT's goal of 30% of contracting dollars going to COBID-certified firms.