NE Broadway Calms Down

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has begun the NE Broadway Pave and Paint project, which will see NE Broadway become a smaller, slower street that’s friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians.

The project will repave and restripe Broadway from NE 7th to NE 26th, with some significant changes. The speed limit will drop to 20 miles per hour, and the street will go from 3 traffic lanes to 2. According to PBOT, the street only uses a fraction of its capacity and can function well, with only two lanes. This will free up room for a larger, buffered bike lane, as well as multiple new pedestrian crossings. The community is largely supportive and excited about the project, hoping it will make Broadway a nicer street to enjoy on a bike or on the sidewalk.

A future project will change Broadway from NE 7th to the Broadway Bridge. PBOT’s Civic Main Street project, which won a $38 million federal grant, plans to create protected bike lanes, improve sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, plant loads of new street trees, and make other improvements to make it easier to use public transportation on the street.