Ribbon cut, opening new Lents sidewalk

See what officials had to say as they celebrated this outer East Portland ‘Fixing Our Streets’ project, along Flavel Street …

Neighbors and city officials gather for a sidewalk dedication in the Lent neighborhood.

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

The first of three prioritized Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) Fixing Our Streets East Portland sidewalk projects was dedicated on Friday morning, June 22 in a brief ceremony celebrating the SE Flavel Street project that runs between SE 82^nd Avenue of Roses and 92^nd Avenue.

These projects are turning what were formerly muddy paths along well-used streets into safe, up-to-code sidewalks, remarked PBOT’s Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman.

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman says he’s pleased to see sidewalks coming to the long-neglected streets of outer East Portland.

“I’ve come out here this morning because, to me personally, outer East Portland, for too long has lacked adequate infrastructure; but now, we’re actually doing something about it,” Saltzman told East Portland News.

“Today we’re celebrating the completion of three sidewalk projects to make it easier for people to get around safely – which is why, as Portland’s Commissioner of Transportation, I wanted to be here.”

This Lents neighborhood sidewalk along SE Flavel Street, until recently a muddy rut, now makes it easy for people with mobility issues to walk to the corner store.

In many areas of outer East Portland, streets were built to “rural standards”, and when they were constructed they did not take into account that people might want to walk and bike and need increased street safely, the Commissioner explained. “Those issues have become more important Portlanders now.”

PBOT Director Leah Treat praises the timely and cost-efficient work done by the local contractors involved in building the new sidewalks.

During the brief ceremony, PBOT Director Leah Treat remarked about having seen a person using a walker easily navigate the new “curb cuts” at the SE 84^th Avenue intersection. “At each of these sites, all of them are constructed to be ADA compliant.”

Treat observed that minority contractors were enlisted to work on all three projects; the sidewalks were engineered by Emerio Design, and constructed by Raimore Construction. The other two sidewalk projects being celebrated that day were:

NE 102nd Avenue, between Sandy Boulevard and I-84
NE 112th Avenue, between Market Street and SE Powell Boulevard.

“The estimated cost for these projects was $1.3 million, but final project costs came in 33 percent under budget – with the total under $900,000,” commended Treat.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Jeff Moreland Sr. of Raimore Construction, Rafael Gaeta from Emerio Design LLC, and PBOT Director Leah Treat all share in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

With that, a ceremonial ribbon was unrolled, and with a snip these sidewalk projects were officially dedicated.

To learn more about the “Fixing our Streets” program, CLICK HERE.

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