Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, November 27, 2019, Page 8, Image 8

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    Page 8
November 27, 2019
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
photo by p ortland b ureau of t ransportation
Bryan Guiney, Portland regional economic development officer for Business Oregon (from left), OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs, Prosper Portland Commissioner Dr.
Alisha Moreland-Capuia, and Portland Bureau of Transportation Interim Deputy Director Noah Siegel cut the ribbon on Portland’s newest street, Southwest Bond Avenue in
the new South Waterfront neighborhood.
Portland’s Newest Street
South Waterfront build-out a big investment
Officials from the Portland Bureau of Transportation,
Prosper Portland, Oregon Health and Science University
and Business Oregon, the state’s economic development
agency, joined local neighbors and community members
to celebrate the opening of Southwest Bond Avenue.
One third of a mile in length, the street supports the
continued build-out of South Waterfront and the OHSU
Schnitzer Campus, including the recently completed
Knight Cancer Research Building and drastically im-
proves access to the medical offices, other new buildings
and four future development sites between the Marquam
Bridge and Tilikum Crossing.
“We are pleased to celebrate the opening of this import-
ant South Waterfront connection,” said Prosper Portland
Commissioner Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, during the
Nov. 14 ribbon cutting ceremony. “Moving forward, we
will continue to work with city bureau partners and the
community to determine how best to deliver on the prior-
ities of affordable housing, regional streets, the greenway,
parks, and a strong employment base.”
“OHSU has grown over the last hundred years because
our missions of research, health care, and education re-
main critically important to the health of Oregonians,” said
OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs. “Like the research we
do at the Knight Cancer Institute and our other centers of
excellence, the more discoveries we make, the more we
can do to help Oregonians and people everywhere live
longer, healthier lives. This road provides critical access
for those who come to OHSU to learn, make discoveries,
and seek care.”
The newest OHSU building, the Knight Cancer Re-
search Building, is a state-of-the-art facility focused on
early detection and treatment of cancer. The $11.6 million
city investment in Bond Avenue served as the city’s con-
tribution to the Knight Cancer Challenge, in which philan-
thropists Phil and Penny Knight promised a donation of
$500 million if the public sector could raise the same
amount. Former Mayor Charlie Hales made this commit-
ment to infrastructure in response to the challenge.
Once complete in its entirety, Bond Avenue will be-
come a “couplet” with Southwest Moody Avenue han-
dling southbound car and bike traffic. In the interim peri-
od, phase one will create a shortcut between the Tilikum
Crossing and downtown Portland for pedestrians and
people biking or scooting. It will also extend the Wil-
lamette Greenway path, allowing people to walk, ride,
jog, or roll from the Tilikum Crossing to the Broadway
Bridge–a distance of 2.2 miles–completely separated
from car traffic.
Bryan Guiney, Business Oregon’s regional economic
development officer for the Portland Metro Area, said the
infrastructure development by PBOT, Prosper Portland
and OHSU, in addition to the commitment by OHSU to
create 225 new jobs and retain 315 existing jobs while
growing the advanced manufacturing and biomedical in-
dustry cluster, are all key to growing and diversifying the
state’s economy.