September Project Update: NE Glisan Paving & Safety Improvements

Paving complete; crossing improvements still to come

PBOT crews finished paving and most striping on NE Glisan Street between NE 81st and 93rd Avenues in early September. Construction of concrete median islands at NE 84th, 87th and 90th avenues will complete the Glisan Paving and Safety Project. Crews are expected to begin work on the islands in late October or November.

Thanks again for your patience during the months of construction to improve safety, accessibility, stormwater management, and pavement longevity on this segment of NE Glisan Street.

View full size image of Before and after views showcasing the change in street layout from five motor vehicle travel lanes to three.

Upcoming construction timeline

Late October - December 2026

• Construct concrete median islands at NE 84th, 87th and 90th avenues
• Finish remaining striping work after constructing median islands
• Some work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled based on conditions or crew availability.

What's new on NE Glisan Street after paving?

As part of planned safety improvements, the project updated NE Glisan Street from NE 81st to 93rd avenues. Along with the new buffered bike lanes, the following changes occurred. 

New right-turn-only lanes (except for buses and bikes) on both sides of NE 82nd Avenue

What drivers should expect:

• There is now one through‑lane for general vehicle traffic in each direction on NE Glisan Street.
• The right‑most lane is for right turns only. Buses and people biking may continue straight through the intersection in this lane.
• Once through the intersection, buses merge back into the general travel lane, and people biking transition into newly-added buffered bike lanes.

View full size image of Outside lanes near 82nd Avenue are now right turn only for motor vehicles, and will share the space with bikes and buses.

Reminder: Additional safety improvements, operational changes still to come

Planned median extension at NE 87th Avenue will create safer crossing, change 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.

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

The new median extension will prohibit 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.

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 transportation projects

NE 82nd Avenue: Glisan and Davis Signal Improvements Project

Begining in winter 2026, PBOT will make critical safety improvements to 82nd Avenue, including rebuilding signals at NE 82nd Avenue at Glisan and Davis streets.

This fall, private utility relocations will continue in advance of the project construction beginning. This work may require lane closures and/or intersection flagging.

Construction is anticipated to begin in winter 2026 and take 12 months to complete.

Learn more and sign up for construction updates

TriMet's 82nd Avenue Transit Project

TriMet is upgrading bus service on 82nd Avenue between Clackamas Town Center and the Cully neighborhood to TriMet FX-Frequent Express. The new bus line will improve travel times and access to transit. 

The project is in the design phase. Find more information on TriMet's website.

NE Glisan Street: 80th to 102nd Avenue Multimodal Safety Project

Additional improvements for people walking, biking and accessing transit on NE Glisan Street are coming thanks to funding from Metro's Regional Flexible Funds program. Project Development begins this fall, with construction expected by summer 2030.

Visit the project website to learn more and stay up-to-date.