Priorities from SW Trails

SWTrails Priorities for Capital Budget projects for Portland Parks, BES, PBOT, TriMet and OHSU

1. Urgency: The completion of the HAWK signalized ped/bike crossing of Naito at Whitaker will make it possible for OHSU and VA staff to walk between the Hill and the Waterfront using the Hooley Bridge.   In addition, it will be safe for 4T walkers to walk to the waterfront from the OHSU campus on the hill when the tram is not operating.   This route needs 3 things:
   1. Solve the serious storm water problem of water running down the unpermitted driveway of the adjacent property owner onto the pedestrian trail causing excessive erosion. We understand that the adjacent property owner has a responsibility to maintain the storm water drainage system, and that Portland Parks has the responsibility of enforcing the drainage improvements needed to get the storm water off the pedestrian route.
   2. Rebuild the unsafe stairs on the Parks side of the Whitaker Right of Way and upper walkway between the adjacent property owner and the Parks boundary.
   3. Install lighting to make this a 24/7 pedestrian route.  Many OHSU and VA staff and OHSU students use this route every day, commuting from their homes in the South Portland Neighborhood and from the busses running on SW Barbur.
2. Projects to be paid from new gas tax: The following in order of preference are projects that were discussed when the gas tax was being debated:
   1. Climbing bike lane/extended shoulder constructed and posted no parking on SW Marquam Hill Road and SW Gibbs for a bicycle climbing lane and pedestrians to walk to and from OHSU on SW Urban Trail 1 and on the 4T route between OHSU and SW Fairmount.
   2.           Climbing bike lane/extended shoulder constructed and posted no parking on SW Dosch for bicycles and pedestrians to go to and from SW Beaverton Hillsdale Highway and SW Patton Road.  This is the route for a part of SW Trail 7, and also for a part of SW Urban Trail 1.
   3.          Extended shoulder constructed and posted no parking on the east side of SW Cheltenham Court, which is the existing SW  Urban Trail 6, a Neighborhood Greenway and the route many children take to get to Rieke Elementary School, Robert Gray Middle School and Wilson High School.  This is a short steep street segment where pedestrians typically walk in the street and where children using their bicycles frequently need to dismount and push their bicycles.   Under current conditions they do this in the middle of the street.
   4.           Extended shoulder constructed and posted no parking  or sidewalk from SW 17^th to SW 19^th on the south side of SW Capitol Hill Road, a segment of the Hillsdale to Lake Oswego Regional  Pedestrian Trail and SW Urban Trail 6 which,  with a few inexpensive improvements will provide a much safer alternative than walking on the narrow Capitol Hill Road which has few sidewalks along the northern portion of the street.

3. Project requiring Right of Way and State/City MOU.
   1. Red Electric Trail segments west of SW 33^rd, segment on Alpenrose Property, and MOU on the segment of the trail on the old Slavin Road Right of Way east of Barbur Blvd.

4. Construction of Trails by SWTrails Volunteers.
   1. Move ahead with the construction of the Safe Route to School along SW 25^th from SW Bertha to BH Hwy, previously agreed to by Novick’s office and funded by special appropriation by Portland City Council.

5. Maintenance of Trails by SWTrails Volunteers.
   1. SWTrails has proposed a 5 year maintenance agreement for which we are awaiting a response from PBOT and Novick’s office.

6. SW In Motion efforts
   1. SWTrails is working with PBOT staff and the neighborhoods to identify and nominate the connections in SW Portland, once approved by the Portland City Council, this will give us a large number of trails for which we will be able to obtain permits and build improvements to our pedestrian infrastructure.

The map on the following page shows the location of the projects.

SWTrails 10/25/16