East Portland boosters and transportation advocates celebrated when 82nd Avenue was transferred to the city of Portland last year. The move enabled work to begin on a plan to turn the major arterial into a "civic corridor" complete with improved transit service, active transportation access, housing development, and landscaping. The idea? Fix longstanding safety issues while rebalancing long-standing equity gaps that have left east Portlanders with less shade, hotter summers, and less access to frequent,.
A year after it was transferred from the state to the City of Portland, 82nd Avenue is getting major upgrades, but the Portland Bureau of Transportation is also looking to get the input of the community who lives along the corridor.
Legislators must come together to pass a budget bill that includes $250 million in funding for an I-5 bridge to replace the current crossing, write Indi Namkoong, Brett Morgan and Zachary Lauritzen of the Just Crossing Alliance. But Oregonians should also remain focused on the core principles that should anchor the project.
Chief Chuck Lovell announced that he is bringing back the traffic detail. Officers will be in high-crash areas of the city, looking for dangerous driving behaviors.