Portland Takes Control Of 7-Mile Stretch Of 82nd Avenue

PORTLAND, OR — A 7-mile stretch of 82nd Avenue in Portland is now under control of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, which assumed ownership of the road from the Oregon Department of Transportation on June 1.

The state controlled the stretch from Northeast Killingsworth Avenue to Southeast Clatsop Street because 82nd Avenue was a part of Oregon Highway 213 through Portland.

Havng the state hold jurisdiction of a major avenue through the city has created confusion and complications over the years, Portland officials have said, prompting their desire to take ownership of the stretch.

Eighty-second Avenue is one of the busiest roads in the state, with more than 20,000 vehicle trips every day, according to the Portland bureau. It also has one of the highest crash rates of any road in the city, according to police data.

In the last 15 years, 19 people have been killed on the street.

"We will move as fast as we can to install the critical safety and maintenance repairs the community has identified over the years," Portland Transportation Director Chris Warner said. "PBOT is committed to delivering on the community' vision that brought us to the point where we can say we can start building a better 82nd Avenue."

The handoff of control, which officials said will last at least four years, resulted from months of talk between city, county and state officials. The deal involved contributions totaling more than $200 million for repairs and upgrades.

"We are committed to working with the state and regional agencies that share our commitment to a new 82nd Avenue that will help us achieve our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities from Portland streets," Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees PBOT, said.

"It will take years to fix this street and many years to achieve the community's vision, but if we continue to work together, we will get there."