 News media contact
Hannah Schafer
(503) 823-8656
hannah.schafer@portlandoregon.gov
@pbotinfo
News Release:
Commissioner
Saltzman, PBOT Director Leah Treat and community members celebrate three Fixing
Our Streets sidewalk projects in East Portland
 Before and after: Empty segments on SE Flavel Street between SE 84th Avenue and SE 92nd Avenue have been filled with new sidewalks thanks to the Fixing Our Streets Program. Photos by the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
(June 22, 2018) Transportation Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Portland
Bureau of Transportation Director Leah Treat joined community members today to
celebrate the completion of three new sidewalk projects in East Portland.
The projects, funded by the Fixing
Our Streets program, close critical gaps in sidewalks along SE Flavel
Street, NE 102nd Avenue and SE 112th Avenue and add 16 new
ADA-compliant curb ramps. By closing the gaps between existing sidewalks, the
project creates a full 2.25 miles of streets in East Portland with complete
sidewalks on both sides on the street. The result is safer access for
neighborhood residents to schools, public transit and work.
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The sidewalks were
engineered by Emerio Design and constructed by Raimore Construction, both of
which are local minority contractors. The estimated cost for the projects was
$1.3 million, but final project costs were 33 percent under budget – with the
total coming in under $900,000.
"As we promised Portlanders, we're putting their dime to
work." said Transportation Commissioner Dan
Saltzman. "Thanks to the voter-approved Fixing our Streets program,
we're making it easier and safer for people here in East Portland to walk in
the neighborhoods, visit local businesses and access the Springwater Corridor."
"These sidewalks have transformed the muddy trails
on major thoroughfares that residents have relied on for years and made them into accessible pathways to local businesses, public
transit stops and parks," said Leah Treat, director of the Portland Bureau of
Transportation. "I am especially pleased that these projects have help us grow
our partnership with two local, minority-owned firms in Portland – Emerio Design and Raimore Construction. They worked
swiftly to complete this work with the minimum possible impacts for our
neighbors and the traveling public, and at a competitive price."
On NE 102nd,
the new sidewalks provide a much-needed safety improvement. 102nd Avenue is one
of the most dangerous streets in Portland for pedestrians. PBOT’s Vision Zero
Action plan ranks it in among the top 20 streets where pedestrians are killed
or injured. The sidewalk provides a seamless walking route between Prescott
Elementary and the Gateway Transit Center.
On SE 112th,
the new sidewalks improve walking connections along a large north-south
corridor and connect destinations like Kelly Butte Natural Area, Floyd Light
Middle School and Mall 205. On SE Flavel,
new sidewalks make it safer to walk to the MAX Green Line, the I-205 Multiuse
Path, the Springwater Corridor as well as shops and restaurants on 82nd Avenue.
All three projects were identified in the East Portland in Motion plan as having
strong community support but remained unfunded until voters approved Measure
26-173, which created the Fixing Our
Streets Program.
Fixing Our Streets projects make up approximately 20
percent of the investments in Portland’s transportation infrastructure this
construction season, with a total of approximately $105 million being invested
in capital projects, street repair and safety between now and September
2018.
The Fixing Our Streets program, paid for by a local
gas tax approved by Portland voters in May 2016 and a heavy vehicle use tax, is
Portland’s first street repair and traffic safety program financed with local
funding. 56 percent of Fixing Our Streets funding is invested in street
maintenance and 44 percent is invested in safety improvements. The City Council
ordinance included a project list that shows specific projects that are
intended to be funded. The list of projects can be found at www.fixingourstreets.com.
About the Fixing Our Streets Program
The Fixing
Our Streets program is the result of the passage of
Measure 26-173, a 10-cent tax on motor vehicle fuels and Portland’s first local
funding source dedicated to street repair and traffic safety projects. Passed
on May 17, 2016, Measure 26-173 will raise an estimated $64 million over four years. PBOT
will invest this money in a wide variety of street improvement and safety
projects across the entire city. Fixing Our Streets will help PBOT expand
preventive street maintenance that saves money and prevents potholes. It will
support our work to make it safer for children to walk to school. It will allow
us to build more sidewalks, traffic signals, street lights and bike
lanes. The Portland City Council also unanimously passed a Heavy Vehicle
Use Tax, for vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds, which will also fund
the Fixing Our Streets program.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward
of the City’s transportation system, and a community partner in shaping a
livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe
transportation system that provides access and mobility. Learn more at www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation.
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