To view Kathy's letter to the Commissioner on this subject, click here...
To read the newsletter about the Cully Blvd Project, click here...
Success! In June, the City Council passed the 2008-2009 city budget that included $1.6 million for the Cully Blvd Improvement project. This completes the last portion needed for development, design and construction of the $5.4 million dollar project from Prescott to Killingworth along Cully Blvd. Many thanks to everyone who wrote-in and testified in support of this project. Without your voice and effort, this greatly needed safety improvement would not have been realized.
Currently the existing conditions of NE Cully Boulevard between NE Prescott Street and NE Killingsworth Street are substandard. This section of road lacks sidewalks, the shoulders are very narrow and bicyclists and pedestrians have to share the shoulders. There is a high traffic volume with no safe pedestrian crossings. The 5 way stop intersection at NE Prescott Street, 60th Avenue and NE Cully Boulevard is a dangerous intersection as well.
The total estimate for the project development, design and construction of the project is $5,425,000. The project was short 1.6 million but the City of Portland just approved 1.6 million from the one time general fund money so the project can be completed.
In February of 2008 the City of Portland Office of Transportation (PDOT) with the help of a consultant (Harper Houf Peterson & Reghellis) began the project development phase. Community members and business leaders participated in a Public Advisory Committee (PAC) to advise the design team on several alternatives for the project.
Community outreach has been undertaking through open houses, newsletters, small group meetings, and individual property owners meetings, etc. PDOT also hired Verde a non profit organization based in the Cully neighborhood whose mission is to improve the economic health of disadvantaged communities. Verde helped reach the Spanish-speaking community by doing a survey in Spanish to collect comments or concerns about the Cully Blvd project.
The development phase is almost complete. Throughout this process, a consensus was reached to install traffic signals at the intersection of Cully/60th/Prescott. The cross section for the corridor will include two vehicle lanes, parking where feasible, Stormwater “green street” features, bike lanes and sidewalks. A cycle track was an option for the corridor but it needed more design work so the PAC voted to remove it from the alternative. PDOT and Commissioner Adams would like to do more research and propose it to the community one more time. One of the reasons to explore this option is that there is a possibility of substantial savings in the construction plus other benefits.
During the design phase PDOT will be asking community members to be part of a Design Advisory Committee (DAC). Currently some members of the PAC are interested in being part of the DAC.
The estimated schedule for the project is: Project development (currently underway and scheduled to be completed in September of 2008); Project design (once the project development phase has been approved by City Council, design will take approximately eight months – October 08 to May 09); and Construction (set to start in August of 2009 and finishing December 2010).
There will be a PDOT Open House presentation on the bicycle and sidewalk corridor options of this project on Tuesday, October 7th from 6 pm - 8 pm at the Grace Presbyterian Church, 6025 NE Prescott. During the next phase of this project, PDOT will ask members of the community to be part of the Design Advisory Committee, which will last 6-8 months with meetings once a month. To participate on this committee, or for more information please contact PDOT project manager Winston Sandino at 503-823-5767 or e-mail at winston.sandino@trans.ci.portland.or.us
For more information about the project please contact Winston Sandino, PDOT Project Manager by phone at 503-823-5767 or via email at winston.sandino@pdxtrans.org
