NE 102nd Avenue Corridor Safety Project: NE Weidler to NE Sandy

Transportation
Under Construction
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is constructing safety improvements for pedestrians and people biking, taking transit, and driving on NE 102nd Ave between NE Weidler and NE Sandy.
Construction of Phase 3 - Spring 2024
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What’s happening now?

Construction of Phase 3 of the project is happening now. This final phase of the project includes enhancing the crossings of NE 102nd Avenue at/near NE Morris, NE Thompson/Sacramento, and NE Hancock Streets. The enhancements will replace the temporary materials with concrete, and improve curb ramps and signage. Minimal impacts to traffic and nearby property owners are anticipated.

Project Background

This nearly two-mile corridor is on Portland’s High Crash Network, which means it is one of the top 30 streets for crashes in the city. This corridor is surrounded by homes, businesses, community centers, and schools, including Prescott Elementary School and Mt. Hood Community College.

102nd Ave Corridor Safety Project stats and figures
  • About 10,000 vehicles travel in each direction daily.
  • NE 102nd is a major connection route between Gateway and Parkrose.
  • NE 102nd is served by transit lines 22 and 87.
  • This corridor connects to 3 current and 5 future bikeways.

Project goals

  • Reduce crashes
  • Reduce vehicle speeds
  • Improve pedestrian crossings
  • Improve access to transit
  • Create bicycle facilities that serve all ages and abilities
Project timeline
Project timeline
102nd Ave Corridor Safety Project existing condition rendering
Existing 5-lane condition
102nd Ave Corridor Safety Project rendering
Proposed roadway configuration

NE 102nd Avenue had five lanes: two vehicle lanes in each direction plus a turning lane and space for parking on both sides of the street. This configuration made crossing difficult for crossings because the entire, five-lane width must be crossed at once. Even crossings at traffic signals prove difficult, as evident by the number of crashes occurring at intersections with traffic signals. PBOT only considers traffic signals or pedestrian hybrid beacons to be safe for crossing five-lane roadways. But these crossings’ effect on traffic flow and high cost prevented PBOT from constructing enough crossings to render 102nd safe for pedestrians.

The alternative: reduce the number of lanes to make a three-lane roadway. Because traffic flow is fairly low on NE 102nd Avenue, removing a lane in each direction wouldn’t contribute to traffic delays and provides space to install buffered bike lanes to the road. And with only three vehicle lanes, PBOT can add safe enhanced crossings with a pedestrian island and signage. PBOT determined the three-lane solution offered the most effective way to improve safety and eliminate pedestrian crashes and traffic-related deaths and injuries. 

About the Design

For the majority of the 1.75 mile corridor, the NE 102nd Ave Safety Project offers a configuration with three vehicle lanes, buffered bike lanes, and on-street parking. Customized modifications were made at key areas to address a variety of issues and opportunities, including at NE Weidler Street, NE Tillamook Street, the overpass over I-84 and the railroad, NE Fremont Street, NE Prescott Street, and NE Sandy Boulevard.

See the NE 102nd Avenue corridor designs with annotations explaining different changes and the full corridor design under Planning Documents.

Note: Some minor changes have been made to the design, including moving the NE Sacramento Street crossing about 100 feet south to NE Thompson Street, and maintaining two vehicles lanes southbound on the bridge for a longer stretch.

Phases 1 and 2 of the project are complete.

Phase 1 of the pilot included changing the road striping and installing flexible plastic posts for the segments of two-way protected bike lanes and to mark the pedestrian refuge islands. PBOT collected data about NE 102nd Avenue and neighborhood streets and conducted a month-long survey in October 2019. The data collected shows an overall improvement in safety measures. Vehicle speeds on NE 102nd Avenue are lower, and the street better meets guidelines for pedestrians and people biking. The data does not show significant changes to travel times for TriMet buses or other vehicles, nor does it show significant changes to volumes or speeds on nearby neighborhood streets. The survey responses included over a thousand comments and suggestions.

View the January 2020 evaluation of Phase 1 of this safety project:

Following this evaluation, PBOT constructed Phase 2 of the project. This phase added two new crossings and constructed permanent pedestrian islands, curb extensions, and curb ramps in the project area. 

Read the full NE 102nd Avenue Safety Project Evaluation Report and the Appendix under Planning Documents below. Due to funding shortfalls, not all crossings were able to be addressed in this phase of the project.

Public Involvement

Pre-project Summary and Findings (2018)

  • About two-thirds of people expressed support for the pilot project. 
102nd Ave Corridor Safety Project opinion poll
  • About two-thirds of people indicated they are concerned about fast speeds on NE 102nd Avenue and about crossing at an unmarked intersection.
  • More people expressed concern about biking on NE 102nd Avenue than not.
  • Many people shared concerns about drunk driving and safety on the bridge over I-84.
  • Many people expressed concern that the safety project would increase congestion, resulting in neighborhood cut-through, difficulty getting out of the neighborhood, and aggressive driving behaviors.

Read the NE 102nd Ave Safety Project Community Engagement Summary to learn more about the community engagement process and findings:

Previous Engagement

Open Houses

  • Thursday, April 12 2018,  5-7 PM 
  • Wednesday, May 16 2018, 4:30-7:30 PM - Midland Library
  • Tuesday, June 5 2018, 6-8 PM - Rosewood Initiative
  • Wednesday, January 9th 2019, 5-7 PM - Crossroads Church Community Room

Other Engagement

  • April 17 2018 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association
  • May 7 2018 - City of Maywood Park
  • May 9 2018 - East Portland Neighborhood Office Land Use and Transportation Committee
  • May 23 2018 - Parkrose Heights Neighborhood Association
  • October 6 2018 - Prescott Elementary Fall Carnival
  • November 5 2018 - IRCO Africa House
  • December 7 2018 - Parkrose High School
  • January 7 2019 - IRCO Asian Family Center
  • February 19 2019 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association
  • April 18 2019 - Parkrose Business Association
  • May 1 2019 - East Portland Chamber of Commerce
  • September 12 2019 - Parkrose Middle School back to school night
  • September 17 2019 - Parkrose Neighborhood Association.
  • September 25 2019 - PedPDX in action: 102nd Ave Steptember walk
  • October 17 2019 - Parkrose High School
  • November 4th, 2019 - City of Maywood Park
  • November 6th, 2019 - East Portland Chamber of Commerce
  • November 20th, 2019 - East Portland Land Use and Transportation Committee Meeting
  • November 21st, 2019 - Parkrose Business Association
  • December 2nd, 2019 - IRCO Africa House

The project also maintained direct communication with the Parkrose neighborhood association board and the City of Maywood Park council members. The team has also responded to many phone calls, emails, and letters from interested community members.

Project Funding

The entire project has a budget of ~$1.5 million, and is a combination of funding from Fixing our Streets, Transportation System Development Charges (TSDC's), Cannabis Tax, and funding from related projects, including sidewalk infill on NE 102nd Ave from I-84 to Sandy and the Bell and Tillamook Greenway.

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Planning Documents

Map