PBOT, Commissioner Hardesty announce protected bike lanes, safety and maintenance improvements coming to Cully Neighborhood on NE Killingsworth

Following extensive community outreach, today the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty are excited to announce that a variety of safety improvements are coming to NE Killingsworth St, from NE 53rd Avenue to Cully Boulevard - including parking protected bike lanes.

NE Killingsworth Street is an important connector for Northeast Portland and runs through the heart of the Cully neighborhood. In 2019, Killingsworth Street was identified as a maintenance and safety project to be completed by Fixing Our Streets, the program funded by Portland's 10-cent gas tax. PBOT staff now start the work to design the project, with construction expected in 2024.

In February, the advocacy organization Andando en Bicicletas y Caminando (ABC) wrote a joint letter with the Community Cycling Center to Commissioner Hardesty and PBOT Director Chris Warner.

The letter asked us to "slow down the Killingsworth paint and pave project and meaningfully engage with the community on how our street can be reconfigured to make it safer for all of us, especially our most vulnerable community members." The letter added, "Safe bicycling would improve our mobility options and give more of us a way to get around with less stress every day. We are particularly interested in how a protected bike lane would advance transportation equity in our community by making more people feel safe to ride a bike on Killingsworth; it is our opinion that protected bike lanes slow down fast-moving traffic and shorten pedestrian crossings."

In response to the letter and additional feedback, Commissioner Hardesty requested PBOT perform more community engagement that examined additional design options.

"I am proud that we took a step back to deepen our outreach – part of which was to include more residents who don't speak English as a first language." said Commissioner Hardesty. "Our final survey showed 75% of all area respondents were supportive of PBOT's final design. I am excited to see the Cully community engaged around a vision for a greener, safer, multi-modal future that benefits everyone no matter how they share the road."

"Yo creo que es muy bueno que pongan mas cruzadas marcadas en el Killingsworth. También es bueno tener más separación entre los vehículos y los ciclistas. Me siento más segura con esta separación como ciclista y peatón. Pero creo que es necesario también un cambio de comportamiento de los conductores porque al fin tienen que respetar las cruzadas para realmente cuidar a la gente de Cully."

- Marlene Canche, miembro de Andando en Bicicletas y Caminando (ABC)

English Translation of ABC quote: "I think it is good that they are putting in more marked crosswalks on Killingsworth. It is also good to have more separation between vehicles and cyclists. I feel safer as a cyclist and a pedestrian with that separation. But I think a change in driver behavior is also necessary because in the end they have to respect the crosswalks in order to truly keep people safe in Cully."

The project will now enter the design phase. During the design phase, PBOT engineers develop the detailed plans for the improvements and enhancements coming to the street. These include civil elements like concrete pedestrian crossing islands and ADA standard curb ramps, electrical elements such as speed reader boards and lighting enhancements, and traffic elements that identify the specific placement of street markings along the corridor. As part of the design process, PBOT staff will engage with property owners and residents along the corridor and offer opportunities for feedback on various aspects of the project's design. Microsurfacing of NE Killingsworth is anticipated to begin in 2024. Once the resurfacing is complete the corridor will be freshly striped with the finalized street design and additional safety elements and signage will be installed.

This month PBOT is installing a new, high visibility crossing on NE Killingsworth, in the middle of the block between NE Cully Boulevard and Lombard Street. The crosswalk will include concrete pedestrian islands and new lighting enhancements to increase safety for pedestrians in the neighborhood. Speed reader boards are also being installed in both directions on this block to emphasize the need to for people driving to slow down and yield to people crossing the street. This project coincides with the opening of Hacienda CDC's new Las Adelitas 141-unit affordable housing development.

Fixing Our Streets is also funding a separate project to add street lighting to the north side of NE Killingsworth Street from 42nd Avenue to Lombard Street. This work will improve safety for all people who travel along the street. It is expected to be built by 2024.

Improvements Coming to NE Killingsworth

- This project is expected to be complete by the end of 2022 to coincide with the opening of the new Las Adelitas affordable housing building across from Hacienda CDC

Additional safety improvements will begin construction in 2024 and include:

Microsurfacing to repair the roadway and extend the life of the pavement from NE 53rd Avenue to Cully Boulevard

Pedestrian Signal Rebuild and Enhancement between NE 54th and 55th avenues

Pedestrian Crossing Improvement with refuge islands and lighting enhancements at NE 64th Avenue

Curb Ramp Upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards

Transit Platform at the eastbound NE 64th Avenue stop. The concrete platform will provide riders of TriMet's Line 72 bus safer access, while also separating bikes and buses and reducing public transit delays. This improvement will also allow us to provide more on-street parking in this busy block.

Street Lighting added to the north side from NE 42nd Avenue to Lombard Street

More information and future updates on the NE Killingsworth Fixing Our Streets project can be found online at Killingsworth Street Repaving and Safety Improvements.