Road, rail construction could slow your commute

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — We all love the warming temperatures, but the transition into nice weather also means Portland has entered construction season. No matter which direction you’re travelling, there’s a strong chance construction could get in your way.

Four road projects are all getting underway:

• One northbound lane of Naito Parkway is closed through July
• Hawthorne is closed from SE Cesar Chavez to 50th for three weeks of sewer work
• Max lines will be operating on reduced levels for rail improvement
• I-205 in Vancouver will be receiving overnight repairs

You can check the entire list of current projects and street closure’s here.

Beginning May 8, TriMet will be reducing the Max train numbers by 25 to 35 percent as they make upgrades around 1st and Couch. TriMet spokesperson Roberta Altstadt tells me it will be the first time that rail area will be upgraded since 1986.

“It’s been providing service for about 30 years, and as with any light rail system of that age, there comes a time when you have to make replacements,” Altstadt said.

The slowdown will be especially troublesome the evening of Monday, May 9, as thousands of people head to the Moda Center for the Portland Trail Blazers NBA playoff game against the Golden State Warriors. TriMet says they know this will cause travel headaches, but because of the Rose Festival’s construction moratorium and our area’s inclement weather, they didn’t have any other option.

Monday night Tri Met also held their first of four open houses to get input from Portlanders about how to improve commutes for cyclists who also use Tri Met transportation.

Jeff Owen is the active transportation planner for the project.

“The final goal is to develop a really clear road map that will allow us to go after funding,” Owen told KOIN. “…and to build bike parking evaluate carefully if we have clear policies the public can understand how to access the system by bike how to put bikes on board.”