September 2015
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
West sidewalk and cycle track reopen in South Waterfront
TRANSPORTATION NOTEBOOK
By Erik Vidstrand
The Southwest Portland Post
With the opening of the new Tilikum
Crossing, (Bridge of the People), new
safety improvements along Southwest
Moody Avenue have been completed
between Sheridan Street and the Ross
Island Bridge.
This includes the west sidewalk
and cycle track which will improve
the flow of pedestrians and bicyclists
along Moody Avenue. The work was
completed by Portland Bureau of
Transportation and TriMet.
“When we begin operating along
a new alignment, we see how people
behave around our vehicles and tracks,
and then make adjustments to improve
safety,” said TriMet Safety and Security
Executive Director Harry Saporta.
“These improvements will help
people be more aware and alert of
trains and buses along the new MAX
Orange Line.”
The Orange Line, TriMet’s fifth MAX
line, will travel 7.3 miles between, inner
Southeast Portland, Milwaukie, and
Oak Grove in north Clackamas County.
With 1 million new residents
expected in the region by 2030, this
new line will provide an efficient high-
capacity transit option to underserved
communities in the congested M
McLoughlin Boulevard / Highway.
“At PBOT, we want to encourage
Portlanders to ride their bikes and
walk their neighborhoods,” said
Transportation Director Leah Treat.
“Working with TriMet, our investment
will make it safer and easier for
everyone to enjoy the South Waterfront,
take advantage of the new Orange Line,
and use Portland’s newest bridge, the
Pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements along Moody Avenue in South Waterfront.
(Photo courtesy of South Portland Business Association)
beautiful Tilikum Crossing.”
These upgrades also allow bicyclists
and pedestrians to better share the
space. It also enhances access to the
Collaborative Life Sciences Building
and the new bridge which opens on
Sept. 12.
Waivers of remonstrance is
the hot topic in Multnomah
A main topic at the August meeting
of the Multnomah Neighborhood
Association was “waivers of
remonstrance.”
Editor’s Note: This simply means that
in order for a developer or land owner
to avoid having to pay for sidewalks and
half-street improvements during new
residential construction, they only have
to agree to waive their right to object to
future improvements. The city of Portland
currently has something like 12,000
waivers on the books—none of which they
plan to enforce.
Chris Lyons has been leading the
fight for pedestrian and bicyclist
improvements along Capitol Highway.
He recently learned that a waiver
was granted by the Portland Bureau
of Transportation for street frontage
improvements to a house under
construction at 40th and Capitol
Nick Fish, who heads the Bureau
of Environmental Services, and
Commissioner Steve Novick, who
heads PBOT. A meeting with Fish only
is scheduled for mid-September.
Bill Ryan, chief engineer for the
environmental bureau, responded
to Fitzgerald that both PBOT and
BES are committed to collaborating
on addressing both stormwater and
transportation needs across the city.
“The city has many priorities,” Ryan
wrote, “and must be mindful of limited
budgets and the impact of fees on our
citizens.”
Ryan said that more than 30 percent
of the sewer systems are upwards of
80 years old and places priority on
maintaining aging infrastructure.
Jessica Wade, Capitol Highway
resident, reminded everyone to
keep an eye on the Tyron-Stephens
Creek Headwaters Project which has
proposed stormwater and arterial
transportation improvements.
According to Denver Igarta, who
heads up this project, the city is revis-
ing the draft plan in the fall based on
internal and external comments.
Highway.
“This waiver is not in accordance
with development on substandard
streets,” Lyons wrote to Southwest
Neighborhoods, Inc. transportation
members.
“PBOT does not consider this a
local service street,” Lyons continued.
“However, TriMet recently recognized
the importance of bus line no. 44 and
has identified it for frequent transit
service.”
Lyons was told that the waiver
was approved because it was too
challenging for the developer to meet
stormwater requirements.
“Hence, the citizens
that live nearby get
no sidewalks, no bike
path, no stormwater
management, no access
to transit, no nothing,”
Lyons fumed.
This reporter left
several messages for
the developer, Main
Street Development,
for comments on the
waiver. The calls were
not returned.
Marianne Fitzgerald,
former SWNI president, Owner of this house at Southwest Capitol Highway and 40th
requested a meeting Avenue received a waiver of remonstrance from the city.
with Commissioner (Post photo by Erik Vidstrand)
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