Sellwood Rediscovered: Reinvented Southeast 13th Avenue Emerging as Destination

BOARD RESOLUTION

At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League on October 20, 2010, the following resolution was proposed and approved by the board:

Resolved:

WHEREAS Article 1, part 1 of the Bylaws of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League states: SMILE endorses the right of all people to live safely and without fear in our neighborhood;

WHEREAS five pedestrians have been struck by vehicles while crossing SE Tacoma Street at SE 13^th Avenue over the past 25 months;

WHEREAS the Portland Bureau of Transportation has designated SE Tacoma Street in Sellwood as a “high crash corridor” based on crash data between 1999 and 2009;

WHEREAS Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen and Commissioner Deborah Kafoury are committed to the construction of safety infrastructure along the Tacoma Street corridor and the Sellwood Bridge and will be proactive partners with the city and the neighborhood to secure funding to construct such infrastructure;

WHEREAS Portland Mayor Sam Adams stated at the City Council meeting on October 13, 2010:

“… I am committed to working with the county to ensure that any safety impacts with the new bridge are understood and mitigated and I have directed my staff to evaluate the operation and safety of Tacoma Boulevard as bridge plans move forward. And I will actively pursue funding to improve the safety of the Tacoma Boulevard as part of this project.”;

That the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League Board is committed to and in full support of the commitment of resources to integrate SE Tacoma Street safety improvements between SE 6^th Avenue and McLoughlin Boulevard with the Sellwood Bridge construction project, including but not limited to signalization improvements; traffic calming measures such as medians and vegetation plantings; pedestrian crossings and refuges; and gateway signs; for the purposes of maximizing the safety of motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users.

Proposed and Approved on this Third Wednesday of October, 2010.

signed:

Eric Fox, President

For further information, please contact:

Eric Miller

SMILE board member

chasingmoose@gmail.com

“In addition I am committed to working with the county to ensure that any safety impacts with the new bridge are understood and mitigated and I have directed my staff to evaluate the operation and safety of Tacoma Blvd as bridge plans move forward. And I will actively pursue funding to improve the safety of the Tacoma Blvd as part of this project.”

Mayor Sam Adams
City Council Meeting
October 13, 2010

Mayor Adams’ comments on the Sellwood Bridge IGA

From residents of the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood

Sellwood-Moreland Neighborhood Seeks Intragovernmental Agreement with City of Portland and Multnomah County on Sellwood Bridge Project

Portland, Oregon, October 4, 2010: Residents in the Sellwood-Moreland neighborhood request a good-faith negotiation session between SMILE board members, Mayor Adams, Multnomah County Chair Cogen and Multnomah County Commissioner Kafoury. The purpose of the session will be to re-examine the funding priorities of the current bridge project, in particular the extraordinary size and scope of the Westside interchange and the lack of any funding for Eastside traffic safety and integration.  In light of the fact that the bridge is dilapidated, it is per-lane the most heavily utilized bridge in the state, and the current process has brought us to within striking distance of finally obtaining a new bridge, it is respectfully requested that the session be held on Monday, October 11 at 6 pm at the SMILE station.

The scale and cost of the Westside Interchange is disproportionate to the setting and project –

The schematics of the Westside interchange (attached to this press release) were presented by the project team to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) at their September 15, 2010 meeting. They illustrate the immensity of the 80-foot rock cut that is planned.  The cost of this plan is estimated to be $130 million, some 40% of the total project cost of $330 million. Much of this size and cost is to provide space for two extra lanes on Route 43 to be utilized at an undetermined time in the future.  That is a planning scenario we do not have the luxury to support now, and should be seeking to avoid in the future.  Not only is it unrelated to the bridge, it directs the corridor toward more motorized vehicular traffic when the Portland Plan and Metro’s Regional Transportation Options program seek to reduce such traffic long term.  In addition, we ask that the project team, ODOT and other partners review highway standards that have driven oversized roadway configurations, as this road is not a typical “highway” setting.  Flexibility of such standards can reduce the intersection size, rock cut and cost.

$130m is being directed to the Westside, not a dime is being directed towards SE Tacoma Street east of SE 6^th Avenue, where the bridge hits the ground –

Elementary and middle school children must cross Tacoma Street to get to school.  Four pedestrians have been struck by vehicles at SE 13^th and Tacoma in a short 18 month period, including a 4-year-old boy.  There are an extraordinary number of near-misses between vehicles and pedestrians on SE Tacoma Street on a regular basis.  Signals at SE 13^th and SE 17^th Avenues are considered inadequate to manage the current volume and flow of traffic or the anticipated increase that will accompany the area’s dramatic growth.  One signalization expert recently stated that this intersection is one of the city’s worst. The bridge project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) does not examine nor otherwise address non-rush hour traffic impacts on the neighborhood. A committed investment is needed in traffic calming design elements on SE Tacoma Street that are consistent with the existing Tacoma Main Street Plan and integrated with traffic calming on the bridge span in order to ensure that safety in the neighborhood is maintained and improved.

The City of Portland made a commitment 10 years ago to complete the Tacoma Main Street Plan

A small fraction of the large potential savings that can be realized by reducing the size of the Westside interchange can and should be utilized to finish Portland’s Tacoma Main Street Plan, including new signals at SE 13^th & SE 17^th Avenues.  This will improve the safety of Portland City and Multnomah County residents who shoulder the weight of a commuter corridor, protect children who cross this traffic every day, as well as protect drivers from the currently unsafe and inadequate transportation infrastructure.

All of the Portland Metro region needs this bridge

A new bridge will bring needed money, jobs, and most importantly a safe and efficient route across the Willamette for vehicles, bikes and pedestrians.  We can build a bridge that meets all of our needs, a safe bridge that efficiently uses committed funds, an aesthetically pleasing structure to serve the neighborhood, the city and the state for the next 100 years.

Contact: Eric Miller, Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League (SMILE) Board Member <chasingmoose@gmail.com>

The City is repaving Milwaukie from Bybee south to where it runs into 17th (two blocks before Tacoma). They sent out a letter dated August 16th to “businesses and residents” that arrived yesterday. The supervisor on the project says that he did not know about the SWBA, or he would have sent us a copy.

Here is what is happening:

The crews will start today around noon (as soon as they finish SE 28th).
The intersection at Bybee and Milwaukie will be partially closed, but southbound traffic on Milwaukie will be allowed to turn both east and west onto Bybee.
They are routing northbound traffic off of  Milwaukie onto 17th. They are routing southbound traffic onto Bybee west to 13th, and then left onto Tacoma to get back to 17th . They acknowledge that this is going to create a huge problem at the intersection of 13th and Tacoma (an intersection that is already under stress).
They have decided to do the section from Bybee to Rex first, and hope to be finished by this Friday (but maybe next Tuesday). They will then do the section south of Rex.
They will try to be finished before the 25th
The saw horses went up yesterday because the City ordinance says they have to be up 24 hours before the work starts.

Chuck Martin
Executive Director
SWBA

I’m writing to let you know that the TNT Network series, “Leverage,” will be filming around the Springwater Trail and the Oregon Pacific Railway tracks adjacent on Thursday August 5th and Friday August 6th. As part of that filming we are working with Multnomah County and the City of Portland to do some related work on the Sellwood Bridge on Thursday August 5th, 2010.

With the permission and cooperation of the county and city the westbound lane of the Sellwood Bridge will be closed on Thursday August 5th, 2010, from 9:30am to 1:30pm to facilitate filming. Drivers will be advised to use alternate routes. The westbound lane will reopen to traffic at 1:30pm.

I’m writing to you in hopes that you can help us disseminate this information as quickly as possible. We will be distributing flyers to the area tonight and tomorrow, and we will be placing variable message signs in the area tomorrow to give drivers a heads up. If you have any questions please contact me.   (503) 780-7989

These shows are part of Portland Parks & Recreation’s Summer Concerts in the Park series that happen in parks all over Portland.  Come down to Sellwood Riverfront Park for some great music with friends and neighbors in a beautiful setting on the river.

There will be food vendors, a secure bike corral, and overflow parking again this year at Oaks Amusement Park. This year there will also be a community information night on July 26th.

See you there!

Are you concerned about your safety when you cross Tacoma Street? Four pedestrians have been struck by vehicles at the intersection of SE 13th & Tacoma in just the past 15 months. All of them were crossing the street with the crosswalk signal in their favor. One of the people struck was a 4-yr-old boy.

Come hear what Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBoT) has to say about this. Join the discussion about how we can partner with the city to get the Tacoma Main Street Plan completed before anyone else gets hit.

Contact: Eric Miller: chasingmoose@gmail.com

Dear Sellwood Bridge User,

When Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the Oregon Jobs and Transportation Act of 2009 this week, our project to replace the Sellwood Bridge took a giant leap forward. The legislation helps fund a new bridge in these ways:

· $30 million is designated to build a new interchange where the bridge connects with Highway 43.

· Multnomah and Clackamas counties are permitted to enact local vehicle registration fees to fund a new Sellwood Bridge.

· All Oregon counties and cities will receive new transportation funds from state vehicle fees and the state gas tax. The City of Portland and Multnomah County are negotiating an agreement whereby the City would commit $8 million a year of its new funds to raise $100 million for the new Sellwood Bridge.

The legislation creates the local and state funding sources we need to secure federal funds to complete the project. We thank members of the Oregon House and Senate and the Governor for recognizing the need to replace this important regional bridge.

Now the focus on funding will shift to important decisions at the local and federal levels. We expect the elected boards of Multnomah and Clackamas counties will consider enacting local vehicle fees later this year. The Portland City Council will take up the funding agreement with Multnomah County before the end of this year as well. We want to have these local sources in place before Congress acts on our request for $40 million as part of the next federal transportation bill, likely in 2010.

If replacing the Sellwood Bridge is important to you, now is a great time to let your elected leaders know and thank them for supporting the project. Follow these links to contact your elected leaders:

· Multnomah County Board of Commissioners
· Clackamas County Board of Commissioners
· Portland City Council
· Congressman Earl Blumenauer
· Congressman Kurt Schrader
· Congressman Peter DeFazio
· Senator Jeff Merkley
· Senator Ron Wyden

Thank you again for your participation in the Sellwood Bridge project.

Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Chair
Deborah Kafoury, Commissioner – District 1