old town chinatown news...
Jan 8,2009
Portland Mall Traffic Changes Begin January 12
by pearlgirl
As the Portland Mall Light Rail Project enters 2009, major changes for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists are coming to 5th and 6th avenues. The first change takes place January 12, when bus operator training begins. On several Mall blocks, TriMet bus operators will train in the new transit lanes and with the new traffic signals: • 6th Avenue:
SW Market to SW Salmon
SW Stark to NW Couch
NW Hoyt to NW Irving
• NW Irving between 5th and 6th avenues
• 5th Avenue:
NW Irving to SW Oak
Parking will be removed from these training blocks, and training buses will not be accepting passengers. Training will continue until bus service begins on the Mall May 24.
Be safe by obeying all traffic signals. Motorists and cyclists should only travel in the left-side traffic lane on both 5th and 6th avenues. The right side transit lanes are only for buses and light rail trains. Always stay
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posted at 01:08 PM
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Jan 7,2009
Potential Hazards Due to Heavy Rain and Flooding
by pearlgirl
From the Portland Bureau of Transportation... The National Weather Service forecast calls for heavy rain and potential flooding of Johnson Creek tonight or early Thursday morning. These conditions could create a number of driving hazards in the Portland metro area. The Portland Bureau of Transportation crews have staged barricades at several locations in anticipation of heavy rain and flooding, and sandbag pile locations are re-stocked with sand and sandbags. Other City bureaus will partner to respond to conditions as necessary. The public is advised of the following potential hazards associated with heavy rains: Street flooding, clogged catch basins, and drainage problems Pools of standing water all over the city Fallen trees blocking streets Landslides and debris flows blocking streets Issues of house flooding and sewer backups Traffic signal outages Downed power lines and power outages The following sandbag locations are open and stocked with s
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posted at 01:10 PM
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Jan 7,2009
Snowpocalypse Hangover » Potholes
by pearlgirl
From the Portland Bureau of Transportation... This winter's early heavy snowfall caused treacherous driving conditions for motorists, and it is also creating another potential hazard - potholes. The combination of heavy snow and rain, freezing and expanding of moisture under pavement, and thawing has produced potholes, and Maintenance Operations crews busy with sand and gravel cleanup, flood preparation and response, and more snow removal efforts in the West Hills have had limited time and resources to make needed repairs. But pothole patch crews are rolling. "It's an ongoing battle," said Mayor Sam Adams. "On Monday we received two dozen calls to our Pothole Hotline. On Wednesday we received five dozen calls." Call the Pothole Hotline at 503-823-BUMP (2867). Listen to the recording and be prepared to provide some basic information, including the location of the pothole, nearest cross street, your name and contact information, and the time and da
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posted at 12:46 PM
2 comments
Dec 17,2008
City Encourages Commuters to Take Transit Thursday
by pearlgirl
The City of Portland advises commuters to expect variable road conditions throughout the day Thursday and therefore to take transit. If you have to drive, pre-fit and carry chains in your vehicle. According to the National Weather Service, the system that arrived today may bring more precipitation and freezing temperatures through tonight, the Thursday morning commute, and the evening commute. Portlanders could wake to freezing rain or snow, with snow showers expected throughout the day. Most highways, transit routes, emergency response routes, and major arterials are in good condition today. The public is advised, however, that conditions are still variable. Although most major streets have clear pavement, expect patches of ice, packed snow, and black ice on side streets, neighborhood streets, and particularly in the hills. The West Hills are especially icy still. Maintenance Operations crews continue to remain on full callout to clear main streets of ice and respond to this new s
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posted at 03:33 PM
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Nov 4,2008
Steel Bridge Back in Service
by pearlgirl
The Steel Bridge is now open for MAX and bus service. Earlier this morning during a test lift, the bridge was stuck 10 feet above the deck due to an electrical malfunction with Union Pacific RR equipment.
posted at 11:48 AM
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Nov 4,2008
Steel Bridge Closed
by pearlgirl
The Steel Bridge has an electrical malfunction that has caused it to remain open. Obviously, it is closed to all traffic. At this time, TriMet does not know when it will reopen. Stay tuned. Shuttle buses will take riders between the Rose Quarter Transit Center and the Old Town/Chinatown stations. The seven bus lines that typically cross the Steel Bridge will use either the Broadway or Burnside bridges. Bus lines: 4-Fessenden, 8-NE 15th Ave, 10-NE 33rd Ave, 33-Fremont, 35-Greeley, 44-Mocks Crest and 77-Broadway/Halsey. Read more at Portland Tribune .
posted at 08:24 AM
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Nov 3,2008
15 Mashup Tools for Your Local Neighborhood
by dariusmonsef
Want a donut? Want to know if you'll need an umbrella today? Trying to avoid traffic? Want to know if it's safe for your kids to play in the front yard? We'll look a dozen-ish mashups that provide useful, helpful, interesting and fun information about the local area that you you live in. For those asking what a mashup is? The web 2.0 world spawned thousands of social networks and user contributed content sites... The same world has connected even more sites and people with the ability for developers to take the APIs from a couple different sites and mash them together to create new and interesting ways to share information and data. WalkScore | Find What's In a Walkable Distance
"Walk Score shows you a map of what is nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment." Portland rates in their top 10 cities. You can even see their directory of Portl
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"Walk Score shows you a map of what is nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment." Portland rates in their top 10 cities. You can even see their directory of Portl
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posted at 08:15 AM
12 comments
Oct 27,2008
Hawthorne Bridge Closure Tomorrow
by Calendar Girl
A damaged cable on the 98-year-old Hawthorne Bridge will be repaired Tuesday morning, closing the bridge to traffic for most of the day. See the Portland Tribune article. Due to the emergency repairs, Multnomah County will be closing the Hawthorne Bridge on Tuesday, October 28 from 9:00am until approximately 1:00pm. Buses that normally use the Hawthorne Bridge will be rerouted to the Morrison Bridge.
posted at 08:57 PM
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Oct 3,2008
Traffic Advisory for Portland Marathon
by pearlgirl
The 38th annual Portland Marathon will be run on Sunday October 5th, 2008 beginning at 7 AM. Traffic will be impacted throughout the day, and in some cases, certain major thoroughfares will be closed from 6:30AM to 3:00PM or later. Times are approximate and may vary by 15 to 30 minutes. SW Naito Parkway, SW Salmon, SW Broadway, NW Davis, SW 3rd, SW 4th, NW Raleigh, NW Thurman, NW Wardway, NW St. Helens Road, N Willamette Blvd, N Greeley and N Interstate, NW Lovejoy, NW 9th are all impacted by the race to a significant degree throughout the day and should be avoided. The Broadway Bridge is CLOSED to westbound traffic from 10:00am to Noon, and the Morrison Bridge is CLOSED to westbound traffic between 6-8:45am. The Burnside Bridge is CLOSED to westbound traffic between 6:30-9:00am. The St. Johns Bridge will have one lane open to traffic in each direction. The Marathon Course route is closed to all unauthorized vehicular and bicycle traffic. There are no exceptions. WESTSIDE DOWNTOWN
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posted at 04:40 PM
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Oct 2,2008
Closure » N. Vancouver Avenue Bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad
by pearlgirl
Portland Transportation Maintenance Operations will be closing the N Vancouver Avenue Bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad between N Farragut and N Columbia Boulevard for three weeks starting Monday, October 13 through Sunday, November 2 for deck maintenance work. The public is advised that the bridge will be closed to all motorized traffic all days and all hours. Pedestrian traffic will be allowed on the sidewalks at all times, and bicycles may walk their bikes on the sidewalks during the closure. Pedestrians and bicyclists may experience short delays while the work is being performed. Detour signs will direct traffic around the closure. The primary detour route around the bridge is NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between NLombard Street and NE Columbia Boulevard. The bridge is being closed in order to perform deck maintenance work, which consists of installing an epoxy deck overlay. The overlay is intended to seal and protect the wearing surface and the deck reinforc
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posted at 12:54 PM
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