Portland Council Tentatively Approves Sidewalk Repair Plan

The Portland City Council tentatively adopted a “plan to make a plan” to improve sidewalks in some of the city’s most neglected neighborhoods, reports Alex Zielinski for Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The proposal calls on the  Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) to research and propose ways to make improvements to the most badly damaged sidewalks in Districts 1 and 4, as well as filling potholes.

According to the Bureau, 172 miles of Portland’s 5,000 miles of streets have no sidewalks on one or both sides. “The majority of these streets without sidewalks are in southwest neighborhoods and those east of Interstate 205. These neighborhoods largely fall into District 1 and District 4.” Half of the city’s traffic deaths took place in District 1, signaling a need for safer road infrastructure.

While some councillors expressed concern about the focus on specific districts, which could lead to future “turf wars” over city resources, others supported the effort to address needs in historically underserved communities.

According to Zielinski, “The plan doesn’t include any kind of revenue plan to pay for the cost of new sidewalks. Instead, it directs the city’s Finance Committee to propose a separate resolution to consider ways to pay for sidewalk construction.”