122nd to receive major overhaul, from Marine Dr. to Foster Rd.

Posted Nov. 9, 2021

By Farhiya Mohamed

Staff Editor

122nd Avenue, one of the longest, busiest north-south corridors in East Portland, will be getting a major overhaul, from Marine Drive to Foster Road.

“All of 122nd Avenue is designated as a ‘high crash corridor’ for pedestrians and people driving, or biking,” stated Portland.gov. “This means the street is on the top 30 list of streets with the highest number of severe crashes.”

Over a five-year period, 122nd has recorded 22 crashes. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), more than 1,000 community members were surveyed. They were asked how they use the 122nd Avenue corridor.

“Through the survey and workshops, we learned that more than 90% of people travel by car on 122nd Ave.," stated PBOT. "Almost half of these also used an additional mode of travel sometimes. About a third of respondents reported walking or using a mobility device, 21% riding a bike, and 19% riding transit.”

While other aspects of the plan are being worked on, PBOT crews and contractors will be improving street lights on NE San Rafael Street to SE Powell Boulevard. New crossings will be created at or near the following streets: New Beach street, NE Brazee Street, NE Sacramento Street, NE Hancock Street, NE Broadway, NE Wasco Street, NE Davis Street, and SE Clinton Street. There will be road repaving and re-striping on NE Broadway to Halsey Street and SE Powell Boulevard to Foster Road. There will also be upgrades to interactions where 122nd Avenue crosses side streets.

There were many survey recommendations for PBOT, including removing on-street parking on both sides of the street, which would give more space for existing bike lanes. Adding bus platforms was also recommended, as was building a center median. A center median would help manage vehicles making left turns onto side streets or into driveways, keeping the road safer.

There are three phases of the plan recommendation. Phase 1 will be to make critical safety improvements. There are nine steps for this change: adding lights, making intersections safer, reducing travel lanes, improving crossings, installing new speed reader boards or relocating existing ones, adding protected or enhanced bike lanes between NE San Rafael Street and SE Powell Boulevard, adding delineators along center turn lanes, installing raised safety curbs to “calm” left turns, and lastly, adding trees and vegetation. The second phase is making all modes of travel easier and safer.

They will also be improving crossings and high priority transit stops, adding transit priority lanes, building new sidewalks, improving existing sidewalks and access as required under the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA), making the I-84 underpass safer, improving the intersection of NE 122nd Avenue and Sandy Boulevard and intersections, and building concrete median islands.

The last phase will be to helping 122nd Avenue grow as a “civic corridor”. The recommendations are to build safer sidewalks, convert outermost lanes, build medians with trees, and enhance transit stops.