Commuters brace yourselves as downtown Portland is getting a facelift with new safety enhancements aimed at cyclists and drivers alike. Starting April 24, 2024, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) kicks off its construction work on SW Broadway to install upgraded traffic signals and improved ADA-compliant ramps at the bustling junctions of SW Jefferson and SW Taylor. The goal is to make the area smoother for bikers zipping through the city's arteries from the Broadway Bridge to Portland State University.
The work, which includes new phase-separated right turn and bicycle signals, is part of a broader initiative dubbed the Central City in Motion project. These upgrades promise to significantly reduce collisions between the cycling public and vehicular right-turners along this key downtown route. However, local businesses and commuters should be prepared to quickly adapt, as the changes will unfortunately snatch away three parking spaces on Broadway between Taylor and Yamhill to make room for a fresh right turn lane, as detailed by PBOT.
Portland’s transportation director, Millicent Williams, celebrated the initiative, remarking, "I am pleased to see these improvements coming to SW Broadway, the heart of downtown," in a statement obtained by the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Adding to the community feedback, Laura Gifford Kerr of Gifford’s Flowers – a local business with an 85-year foothold – shared her appreciation for PBOT's commitment to safe transportation and to ensuring accessible business operation during the construction phase.
The recent announcement of these intersection upgrades builds on January's improvements along SW Broadway designed to hammer out friction between cyclists and hotel valet zones. Happy hour goers and diners are welcomed heartily by the Heathman Hotel, whose General Manager, Laura Maldonado, praised the safer and more agreeable streetscape that the new passenger loading platform in front of their establishment brings to the city ambiance. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, the full project awaits completion in fall 2025, but these immediate changes, including lane and sidewalk modifications, are just the start.
While road closures are not on the day's menu, locals can expect the regular hum of urban renewal: dust, noise, and the rumble of heavy machinery. PBOT urges the public to keep patient and vigilant, to follow all detours and directions, and to consider alternate routes when feasible. As the jackhammers sing and the asphalt is laid anew, the promise of a safer Broadway for all modes of transit lingers in the air, inching closer amidst the ruckus of revamp. Businesses remain open, and PBOT asks Portlanders to mind the workers by staying sharp on traffic signs and flagger directions while this weather-dependent work proceeds.
