NE Glisan Street Paving & Safety Project Newsletter (May 2026)

Published

May 1, 2026 11:43 am

In this article

Drainage work begins as early as May 4 to repair and build stormwater systems on NE Glisan Street near NE 91st and 92nd avenues.

Environmental Services will begin construction as early as next week to repair and build sediment/sump systems on NE Glisan Street. This work helps prevent sewer and stormwater overflows to homes, businesses, and streets.

Coordinating underground utility work ahead of repaving increases the life of new asphalt by limiting saw cuts or trenching that can lead to deterioration.

For more information about the NE Glisan Street drainage work, visit the Bureau of Environmental Services project website.

Contact:Debbie Caselton, 503-823-2831
[email protected]

Environmental Services will repair and build sediment/sump systems at three locations in the Montavilla Neighborhood: NE Glisan Street at 91st and 92nd avenues, and SE Stark Street at 94th Avenue.

Curb ramp construction continues into May on north side of NE Glisan Street

PBOT sidewalk crews have been constructing new and updating outdated curb ramps along NE Glisan to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Crews began working in March to ensure a total of 39 ramps and 25 catch basins (stormwater inlets) between NE 83rd and 92nd avenues are finished in advance of the paving, striping, and crossing improvements.

By federal law, PBOT is required to bring curb ramps up to ADA standards whenever a road is resurfaced.

Estimated construction timeline

Construction will take place intermittently between now and Fall 2026. Some work is weather dependent or may be rescheduled due to crew availability.

May - June 2026

• Build sedimentation/sump system upgrades at NE Glisan Street and 91st, 92nd avenues
• Finish curb ramp construction on north side of NE Glisan Street between NE 82nd and 92nd avenues

July - August 2026

• Repave NE Glisan Street between NE 82nd and 92nd avenues
• Paint new lane lines and buffered bike lanes between NE 81st and 93rd avenues

August - September 2026

• Construct new and enhanced crossings at NE 84th, 87th and 90th avenues

New roadway design will add buffered bicycle lanes, restrict some turning movements

Buffered bike lanes will provide network connections and safety improvements

The new roadway design for NE Glisan between 81st and 93rd avenues will add buffered bike lanes in place of the outer travel lanes that currently allow off-peak parking east of NE 82nd Avenue.

A parking study found that very few vehicles used the off-peak parking lanes, which resulted in a wide roadway that invited higher speeds or risky passing behavior. Adding bike lanes will help fill a gap in the city's bicycle network, and limit dangerous driving and travel speeds by removing the unnecessary passing lane.

The layout below shows the new roadway design with two general purpose travel lanes in each direction, a center turn lane, and bike lanes in each direction. The new crossing at NE 90th Avenue is highlighted.

Buffered bike lanes will replace the outer travel/off-peak parking lanes on the north and south sides of NE Glisan Street between 82nd and 93rd avenues. This diagram also shows the new marked crossing and concrete median island planned for NE 90th Avenue

New median extension at NE 87th Avenue increases comfort for people crossing, changes turn lane access for motor vehicles

Northeast 87th Avenue is a low-traffic neighborhood greenway route connecting the Montavilla, Powellhurst-Gilbert and Lents neighborhoods. Over a ten-year period, many crashes took place at 87th Avenue and NE Glisan Street, including a fatal crash and a serious injury crash involving a pedestrian who was struck while in the marked crosswalk.

The project will improve safety and visibility for people walking and biking by extending the concrete median, adding a two-way bikeway transition and new pavement markings.

The extension of the median prohibits left turns from NE 87th Avenue westbound on NE Glisan Street, and for drivers traveling southbound from NE Glisan Street onto NE 87th Avenue.

Extending the concrete median island will improve safety and visibility for people walking and biking across NE Glisan Street at 87th Avenue. Left turns will be prohibited for drivers traveling north on 87th Avenue or west on Glisan Street.

Project background

This segment of NE Glisan Street is one of 30 streets or intersections that make up Portland's High Crash Network, where the most severe crashes take place. These 30 streets and 30 intersections are prioritized by PBOT and partner agencies for safety investments.

Safety projects on the High Crash Network often aim to slow driving speeds and make travel safer for pedestrians, people biking, and those taking transit.

When NE Glisan Street was added to PBOT's paving list, it created an opportunity to make multi-modal safety investments by adding more pedestrian crossings, creating dedicated space for Trimet buses, converting the off-peak parking/travel lanes to buffered bike lanes, and enhancing the existing 87th avenue greenway crossing.

PBOT staff began engaging with community members in September 2024 to understand priorities and concerns, and continued in-person engagement efforts about these changes through December 2025.

Other work nearby

Construction in Fall 2026: 82nd Avenue: Glisan and Davis Signal Improvements

Near completion: NE 87th Avenue paving between NE Glisan and NE Hassalo

In progress: Building a Better 82nd - Major Maintenance Repairs and future projects

For more information:

Scott Cohen
Project Manager

[email protected] | 503-823-5345