Project Update: NE Glisan Paving & Safety Improvements

Thanks for your patience during recent construction on NE Glisan Street that installed new accessible corner ramps and stormwater improvements ahead of the planned grind and pave.

Limited construction activity and traffic impacts will continue in the outside south travel lane while crews complete asphalt repair near the new ramps and fix small sections of damaged concrete. 

Upcoming construction timeline

August - September 2026

• Grind and repave NE Glisan Street between NE 82nd and 92nd avenues
• Paint new lane lines and buffered bike lanes between NE 81st and 93rd avenues

September - October 2026 

• Construct new and enhanced crossings with concrete median islands at NE 84th, 87th and 90th avenues
• Final lane line and crosswalk striping after completion of median islands 

Specific time windows for the start of paving work will be shared once available. Paving and striping work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled based on conditions or crew availability. 

Highlights of recent improvements on NE Glisan Street  

PBOT's Sidewalks crew built new, accessible corner ramps at 28 locations along the project corridor between April and July 2026. Constructing ramps that meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards requires precise design, grading and measurements. We're grateful to have a team of experts doing this work in our Maintenance Operations group.

View full size image of Fresh new accessible curb ramps on the south side of NE Glisan Street

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) oversaw the installation of two new sedimentation/sump systems at NE Glisan Street and 91st and 92nd avenues.

A sump maintenance hole (sump) is a large, concrete cylinder installed under the street that temporarily holds stormwater while slowly releasing it into the ground. The sump is connected to a storm drain and a separate tank, called a sedimentation maintenance hole, that filters out garbage and pollutants. 

Conducting this major work ahead of paving limits future pavement cuts and improves stormwater management for surrounding homes and businesses.

View full size image of An active construction zone on NE Glisan Street where new stormwater systems are waiting for asphalt repair.

Safety improvements will change design of NE Glisan Street between NE 81st and 93rd avenues 

New median extension at NE 87th Avenue creates safer crossing, changes turn lane access for motor vehicles

View full size image of Pedestrian safety improvements will prohibit left turns at NE 87th Ave for drivers traveling west- and northbound.

The Glisan project will improve safety and visibility for people walking and biking at NE 87th Avenue by extending the concrete median, adding a two-way bikeway transition and new pavement markings.

The extension of the median prohibits left turns from NE 87th Avenue westbound on NE Glisan Street, and for drivers traveling southbound from NE Glisan Street onto NE 87th Avenue.

Northeast 87th Avenue is a low-traffic neighborhood greenway route connecting the Montavilla, Powellhurst-Gilbert and Lents neighborhoods. Over a ten-year period, many crashes took place at 87th Avenue and NE Glisan Street, including a fatal crash and a serious injury crash involving a pedestrian who was struck while in the marked crosswalk. 

Buffered bike lanes will provide network connections and safety improvements

The new roadway design for NE Glisan between 81st and 93rd avenues adds buffered bike lanes in place of the outer travel lanes that currently allow off-peak parking east of NE 82nd Avenue. 

A parking study found that very few vehicles used the off-peak parking lanes, which resulted in a wide roadway that invited higher speeds or risky passing behavior. Adding bike lanes will help fill a gap in the city's bicycle network, and limit dangerous driving and travel speeds by removing the unnecessary passing lane.

The layout below shows the new roadway design with two general purpose travel lanes in each direction, a center turn lane, and bike lanes in each direction. A new crossing at NE 90th Avenue is highlighted. 

View full size image of Diagram with bike lanes replacing outer travel lanes on NE Glisan Street, reducing vehicles lanes from 4 down to 2.

Project background

This segment of NE Glisan Street is one of 30 streets or intersections that make up Portland's High Crash Network, where the most severe crashes take place. These 30 streets and 30 intersections are prioritized by PBOT and partner agencies for safety investments.

Safety projects on the High Crash Network often aim to slow driving speeds and make travel safer for pedestrians, people biking, and those taking transit.

When NE Glisan Street was added to PBOT's paving list, it created an opportunity to make multi-modal safety investments by adding more pedestrian crossings, creating dedicated space for Trimet buses, converting the off-peak parking/travel lanes to buffered bike lanes, and enhancing the existing 87th avenue greenway crossing. 

PBOT staff began engaging with community members in September 2024 to understand priorities and concerns, and continued in-person engagement efforts about these changes through December 2025.

Nearby work planned this winter

NE 82nd Avenue: Glisan and Davis Signal Improvements Project Update

As part of this project, PBOT will make critical safety improvements to 82nd Avenue, including rebuilding signals at NE 82nd Avenue at Glisan and Davis streets. This summer, private utility relocations will take place in advance of the project construction beginning. This utility relocation work may require lane closures and/or intersection flagging.

The PBOT project team is preparing to put the project out to bid. As a part of final design, the team identified necessary minor scope reductions to bring the project within budget. A more detailed design update will be shared in the coming weeks. Construction is anticipated to begin in winter 2026 and take 12 months to complete.

Learn more and sign up for construction updates

View full size image of Diagram of early project designs for NE Glisan and 82nd Avenue upgrades, including new ADA ramps and widened sidewalks.