PORTLAND, Ore. — Safety upgrades are now underway along 82nd Avenue in east Portland, about half a year after the city took control of the dangerous corridor. The so-called "orphan highway" was previously under the Oregon Department of Transportation's jurisdiction.
One of the most noticeable additions will be speed reader signs that let drivers know how fast they're going, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The speed limit on 82nd Avenue is now 30 mph and the signs will tell people to "slow down" when they're going too fast, addressing one of the common complains from nearby residents.
"There's a lot of traffic that travels up and down 82nd," said Andre Jackson, who lives in the area. "They travel at a very high rate of speed and the lights are very far and few between and they move very quickly."
Another resident of the area, Patty Spencer, expressed some skepticism about whether the changes will be enough to really change driver behavior.
"I think it will help, but I think people will get use to them and start ignoring them and things will go back to the way they are," Spencer said.
There will also be new traffic signal controllers to reduce the opportunities for drivers to speed through multiple signals, PBOT said. A lot of the changes are happening near McDaniel High School, where students walk and cross the street everyday.
"High crash corridors across Portland make up a disproportionate (share) of our fatal crashes or crashes that result in an injury of someone," said Reed Buterbaugh with PBOT. "To be able to get rid of that top-line speeding, speeding that's 11 miles over the speed limit — that's where things really get dangerous."
New technology will also be installed at intersections to give pedestrians a several-second head start to begin crossing before cars are given a green light to turn, PBOT said.
More improvements are slated for the next few years, including upgraded crossings and street lighting, most of which couldn't happen until the jurisdictional transfer from ODOT to PBOT.