In response to many of the complaints on BikePortland.org about the traffic control and detour situation south of OMSI, I gave John Smith, the Assistant Project Manager in charge over there, a call at ODOT. Here’s some of what he reported:
–The concrete stretch of SE 4th (between Caruthers and the top of the Springwater trail) will be striped with bike lanes as soon as it stops raining for more than two days. There will be bikes lanes on either side of the road, and enough room for Ross Island Sand and Gravel trucks to park in the road when they load and unload without blocking the bike lanes (and if they do, that’s a hefty parking ticket). In fact, the railroad tracks were moved over just to make room for this.
(Click on this drawing to see what the new bike lanes and crosswalks will look like.)
–The intersection of Caruthers and SE 4th – right next to the big sewer construction – is no longer a 4-way stop. Instead. Caruthers traffic going east and west will have the right of way. North and South bound traffic on SE 4th/New Water has stop signs and must stop at them – Caruthers traffic will not stop anymore, so don’t run those stop signs.
–The road surfaces on Grand and Caruthers, under the viaduct, have been all torn up and John says he’s sorry it’s taking so long to get them paved again. He knows it’s uncomfortable to ride on. But pretty soon they’ll be done.
–There will continue to be detours and equipment on the square of roads made up of Caruthers, 4th, Division Pl and Grand. Some days one side will be open, some days the other side.
–Flaggers trump detour signs. If you come to an intersection and see a flagger pointing you one way and a sign pointing you the other, obey the flagger. Flaggers are out there often making brief detours because some giant piece of equipment is moving around. Don’t be cheeky. Remember, it is legal to pass on the right if it is safe – so you can go up to the head of the line and ask the flagger which way you should go from there. Smile and be nice! It’s better than getting smacked on the head with a back hoe bucket.
–This project will end in 2010. The ODOT grant that is funding extra Portland Police enforcement in the area will also continue until 2010, so be on notice that breaking laws may result in a ticket in this area!
John is himself a bicyclist – “I ride skinny tires” he said when apologizing for the rough surfaces – and he’s very nice and wants to make the construction period as smooth as possible to bicyclists and pedestrians. If you see any chronic problems that he might be able to help address, let me know here and I’ll pass them on.
And let’s keep our eye on the prize – the completion of the Springwater/Eastbank Esplanade trail connection, currently held up in the SK Northwest proceedings. If we can make that happen, we won’t have to worry about Ross Island trucks, 99E detours or folks parked in bike lanes!
nice work Michelle. Glad you got in touch with them.