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News media contact:
Hannah Schafer
(971) 235-8472
hannah.schafer@portlandoregon.gov
@pbotinfo

Traffic Advisory:
Faster buses, safety improvements coming to SE Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street from the Hawthorne Bridge to SE 12th Avenue

Construction begins Tuesday, March 30 and will last approximately three months.

A digital rendering of SE Madison Street at Grand Avenue facing east shows four westbound travel lanes, the northernmost lane is painted red with a right turn arrow and is adjacent to a covered bus shelter, a bike lane, a travel lane with a green bike box and a southernmost lane with a straight arrow.

(March 25, 2021) Safer bicycling, walking, and faster buses are coming to SE Hawthorne Boulevard and SE Madison Street from the Hawthorne Viaduct to SE 12th Avenue. These improvements will result in quicker trips for bus riders and safer travel for bicyclists and pedestrians. The changes will also help people who drive, by separating car and bicycle traffic. Construction begins Tuesday, March 30 and is expected to last three months.

SE Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street are key connections for Portland’s Central City, linking the Central Eastside and downtown. In addition to their important transportation functions, these streets are also home to dozens of local businesses. Both serve as connections to the Hawthorne Bridge. SE Hawthorne Boulevard is a high crash corridor.

Implementing recommendations from the Central City in Motion plan adopted by City Council in 2018, the project improves safety by upgrading pedestrian crossings and bike lanes. PBOT will also add a new bus and turn (BAT) lane on SE Hawthorne Boulevard and upgrade the existing bus lane on SE Madison Street as part of the Rose Lane Project. The Rose Lane improvements will benefit the 17,461 people who ride Line 2, 10 and 14 into and out of the central city. The new street will support dynamic needs throughout the day. Two eastbound lanes on Hawthorne will be available during the afternoon rush from 2 to 7 p.m. At all other times, the northernmost  eastbound lane will be available for parking and loading. The project design provides more space for people bicycling and reduces potential conflict between buses, cars, pedestrians and bikes. A new eastbound protected bike lane will separate people biking from other vehicles. This will improve safety for all roadway users in this High Crash Corridor. Protected bike lanes have been shown to reduce crashes by 40%. The project will also bring safety improvements to the intersection of SE Hawthorne Boulevard at SE 7th Avenue, where the volumes of people bicycling combined with the many right turning vehicles have contributed to a history of collisions between people driving and bicycling. The new design will utilize a new traffic signal to separate right turns onto SE 7th Avenue from through-moving pedestrian and bicycle traffic to remove the risk of right hook collisions for people walking and biking. The new design will also prohibit right turns from SE Hawthorne Boulevard to SE 6th Avenue and from SE Madison Street to SE 6th Avenue, reducing the potential for a collision between right-turning vehicles and through-moving buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Upgraded crosswalks and parking setbacks in key areas throughout the corridor will improve safety and visibility of pedestrians. The total project budget is $1.1 million and is funded by Metro’s Regional Flexible Fund.

How will parking work?

On SE Hawthorne Boulevard, parking will be available on the south side of the street between the bike lane and the travel lane. A similar design was first implemented on SW Broadway next to PSU campus in 2009. Since then, PBOT has installed many parking protected bike lanes such as those on NW Broadway, SE Foster Road and N Rosa Parks Way. 

When parking, park parallel to the white posts in marked spaces. Follow all posted parking restrictions. 

On the north side of SE Hawthorne Boulevard, parking and loading zones will be available all hours of the day, except 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday. During the afternoon rush, parking will be prohibited. This design will allow for an additional travel lane for eastbound traffic when it is most needed from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

To provide the space for the new full-time bus and turn lane, parking on the north side of SE Madison street will be removed. Parking will be available on the south side of SE Madison between SE 11th and 6th avenues all hours of the day except 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. This design will allow for an additional travel lane for westbound traffic when it is most needed during the morning and evening rush.

PBOT will also install two transit platforms to improve bus rider loading and unloading and reduce bus-bike conflicts on SE Hawthorne Boulevard. One will be installed on the south side of Hawthorne, west of SE 6th Avenue, and a second will be installed on the south side of Hawthorne west of SE 12th Avenue.

The SE Hawthorne and Madison Multimodal Improvements project is one of two PBOT projects taking place along SE Hawthorne in 2021. The Hawthorne Pave & Paint project is also currently under construction between 24th and 50th avenues.

Hawthorne and Madison Multimodal Improvements project, between the Hawthorne Bridge and 12th Avenue (solid blue line to the left) will upgrade pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, and bus lanes. The Hawthorne Pave & Paint project, between 24th and 50th avenues (solid orange line to the right), includes 180 ADA-compliant curb ramps, repaving, and restriping to new lane configuration.

Construction impacts  

During construction, there will be temporary lane and parking restrictions on SE Hawthorne and Madison between the Hawthorne Viaduct and SE 12^th Avenue. Sidewalks will remain open. A lane for bicycle traffic will be maintained on SE Hawthorne and Madison during construction.

Construction will last approximately three months. Construction will primarily take place in the evenings to minimize traffic impacts, though some activities will need to occur during the day.

When traveling in the construction zone:

• Use caution and go slow
• Observe all lane closures and directions by reader boards and flaggers
• Use alternate routes if possible

For more information, including project manager and contractor contact information, visit the project website at https://www.portland.gov/hawthorne-madison

Special note regarding Covid-19 and construction work

PBOT has been in modified operations since March 17, 2020 and has implemented specific measures to ensure the safety of our crews and contractors. This includes modified shifts, social distancing, and other precautions based on current guidelines from local, state, and federal health officials. Thank you for giving our crews the space and time they need to keep our city moving.

About Central City in Motion

Central City in Motion is PBOT’s effort to plan, prioritize, and implement transportation improvements in the city’s core. Following two years of public engagement, 18 projects were prioritized through this planning effort and approved by Portland City Council in 2018.

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. www.portland.gov/transportation

The City of Portland complies with all non‐discrimination, Civil Rights laws including Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II. To help ensure equal access to City programs, services and activities, the City of Portland will reasonably modify policies/procedures and provide auxiliary aids/services to persons with disabilities. Call 503-823-5185, TTY 503-823-6868 or Oregon Relay Service: 711 with such requests, or visit http://bit.ly/13EWaCg