PBOT to request $6 million in state funds for Safe Routes to School projects

This street on SE 174th near Alder School along Portland’s eastern city limits will get sidewalks if a PBOT grant application is successful.

At city council on Wednesday the Portland Bureau of Transportation will request support for a grant to the Oregon Department of Transportation to fund three Safe Routes to School projects in east Portland.

The three projects total $7.6 million and include sidewalks and crossing upgrades near schools around SE 174th, SE Holgate, and NE Shaver.

PBOT plans to ask ODOT for $6 million from the new Safe Routes to School Fund created with the $5.3 billion transportation funding package passed in 2017. As we reported back in August, ODOT has about $16 million available in this first two-year cycle of the new program. The fund requires a 20 percent local match and PBOT intends to cover the additional $1.6 million via the Fixing Our Streets program and Transportation System Plan allocations.

Here are the three projects they’ll seek funding for, as outlined in the ordinance that will be in front of city council this week:

Red lines are approximate project locations.

The SE 174th Ave project will address the lack of sidewalks along SE 174th Ave, SE Stark to SE Main, westside; and SE Division to SE Powell, westside. SE 174th Ave has a 35-mph speed limit and serves three elementary schools in the Centennial and Reynolds School Districts: Powell Butte, Patrick Lynch and Alder. Total project: $2,522,000

The SE Holgate project will address the lack of sidewalks and crossings along SE Holgate, SE 102nd – SE 134th. SE Holgate is part of PBOT’s High Crash Network and serves three schools in the David Douglas School District: Earl Boyles and Gilbert Heights Elementary Schools and Ron Russell Middle School. Total project: $2,627,000

The NE Shaver project will address the lack of sidewalks and crossings along NE Shaver, NE 102nd – NE 115th. NE Shaver has a bus line and serves three schools in the Parkrose School District: Prescott Elementary, Parkrose Middle School and Parkrose High School. Total project: $2,500,000

PBOT has already completed much of the legwork needed to build Safe Routes projects and they are very well-positioned to break ground. A year-long public outreach process led to the identification of dozens of projects citywide, all of which you can view in this interactive map.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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