Councilors Novick, Koyama Lane and Morillo Fund Fixes to Elevators at Bob Stacey Crossing

The elevators at the Bob Stacey Crossing in inner southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood have been accurately described by BikePortland as "a vital link" for pedestrians and bicyclists "to cross five railroad tracks and detour around the infamously long and disruptive freight trains that block nearby intersections." Unfortunately, the elevators are often out of service due to vandalism. The glass doors and windows are shattered regularly. The District 3 City Council offices have heard repeatedly from District 3 residents about this problem.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation is planning to install a bulletproof and shatterproof material in the doors that should protect against further vandalism, but the Bureau had not identified the $150,000 in funding necessary to replace the elevator windows and towers with the same shatterproof material. Now, District 3 City Councilors Steve Novick, Tiffany Koyama Lane and Angelita Morillo are providing that funding out of their Council office budgets. Novick is providing $110,000, while Morillo and Koyama Lane are providing $20,000 each. PBOT has also installed mobile security cameras on both the north and south sides of the crossing.

Councilor Novick said he is "doubly delighted to be able to help, both because I've heard about this problem from bicyclists and pedestrians, and because Bob Stacey, a fierce advocate for bicyclists and pedestrians, and a visionary urbanist, was a dear friend."

The crossing was completed in 2020 and renamed after Bob Stacey in 2021 in recognition of over four decades of public service. However, the elevators have faced repeated outages since opening due to both mechanical issues and vandalism leading to challenges for Portlander's look to walk, ride, and roll in SE Portland.

Councilor Koyama Lane said, "I'm thrilled to dedicate some of my council office funds to these repairs so that, very soon, the only thing you'll find at AreTheElevatorsBroken.com is a lot of blank space! I want 'Yes, they're working' to be the permanent answer for the Bob Stacey Crossing. Elevators are not just a convenience--they are a necessity for the ADA community, parents with strollers, cyclists and more!"

Councilor Angelita Morillo added, "Accessibility is not an afterthought, it's something we have to dedicate ourselves to. Investing in our public elevators is one small part of that."

Novick notes that he was able to provide the help because "the City Council, over my objection, voted to increase individual office funding to $1.45 million per year, far exceeding those of Multnomah County Commissioners or City Council offices in many other cities. In this year's budget discussion, I am again fighting to cut council office budgets, but in the meantime, as long as I have the money, I'm going to put it to good use."

PBOT estimates that the new shatter-proof glass should be installed by Fall 2026.

Contact Information:

Spencer Knowles
spencer.knowles@portlandoregon…