PORTLAND, Ore. — Construction along Southeast 82nd Avenue in Portland is expected to increase through the winter as the high-crash corridor gets much-needed safety improvements.
Travelers should expect delays with periodic lane closures, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) said.
In the coming weeks, construction will focus on underground utility work and then move to building ADA corner ramps, sidewalks and driveways this fall.
The project is a part of PBOT's Building a Better 82nd program to bring safety improvements to what has become one of the "most dangerous streets" in Portland.
In a 10-year period, between 2012-2021, there were 14 traffic deaths and 122 people seriously injured in crashes on 82nd Avenue — all between the city limits and Lombard Street, PBOT said.
As part of the $55 million project, PBOT plans to build new traffic signals and pedestrian crossings at seven intersections along the corridor and widen or repair over 10,000 linear feet of sidewalk. It is the largest undertaking within the overall $185 million overhaul of 82nd Avenue, which the Oregon Legislature approved in 2021.
This phase of the project is expected to complete in 2026.
