We want to make Portland’s Northwest District safer and more convenient for walking, biking, and taking public transit. Through the Northwest in Motion project, we will develop a list of specific projects that can be built in and around the neighborhood over the next five years.
This site contains a series of preliminary design concepts to illustrate the range of potential project elements that could be included in a Tier 1 Project List for Northwest in Motion.
These project ideas should be considered as a starting point for further public discussion. Illustrations are intended to more clearly communicate the project team’s current thinking around proposed projects and do not imply that any final decisions have been made. Refinement of these concepts will be based on stakeholder feedback and feasibility analysis.
Click through the icons and lines on the map to learn about the proposed projects and provide feedback.
Download the design concepts as a printable document (pdf, 11.6 MB). We encourage you to use the online open house to submit your feedback, or feel free to email feedback to NWinMotion@portlandoregon.gov
In a previous phase of the Northwest in Motion planning process, projects were identified and then prioritized using a set of evaluation criteria to divide them into Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects.
Tier 1 projects are considered the highest priorities for funding and implementation in the next five years, and are the projects that are being developed to a higher level of readiness through the Northwest in Motion Plan.
Tier 2 projects are still recognized as needs, but are lower priorities and will not be actively developed or targeted for funding in the next five years unless there is a significant financial leverage opportunity. (These projects are not detailed on this site.)
Northwest in Motion Tier 1 Projects are divided into three project types:
Low-stress streets that are great places to walk, bike, roll, play, and just be.
Small changes that translate to big improvements for bus speed and reliability.
Safer crossings, bikeway, and streetscape improvements on Northwest’s busiest streets.
Neighborhood greenways are calm streets designed to create a safe and comfortable biking and walking experience. They allow people of all ages and abilities to use low-volume, low-speed neighborhood streets rather than busy arterials.
Neighborhood Greenways typically feature a shared street environment rather than separated bike lanes, and use elements such as speed bumps, traffic diverters, enhanced crossings, and way-finding to ensure that the street is clearly prioritized for biking while preserving local automobile access. Neighborhood greenways are great walking routes, providing an alternative to walking along busy traffic-heavy streets.
Neighborhood Greenways are intentionally designed to be low-stress streets that are great places for walking, biking, and rolling.
Slow Speeds - Traffic calming tools including speed humps, curb extensions, and median islands help keep vehicles moving at slow speeds.
Low Vehicle Volumes - Some streets require traffic pattern changes to discourage cut-through traffic and keep traffic volumes low. These changes can be achieved through physical barriers (diverters) or through signage.
Placemaking - Neighborhood Greenways often connect key neighborhood destinations like parks and schools. Our designs look for opportunities to create new great places in Northwest Portland.
Transit service, including bus and streetcar, is essential to providing NW residents and employees travel options other than driving.
However, transit service often experiences heavy delay due to overall traffic congestion, which impacts schedule reliability and makes it a less attractive option. Access to transit can also be a challenge, with not enough crossings at bus stops and sometimes a lack of space and amenities at the stops themselves. Additionally, buses and bikes can come into conflict when they share a roadway.
Transit Improvements are mainly focused on addressing the worst delay issues along bus lines and reducing conflicts with other modes, but also include some targeted access to transit improvements and stop improvements
While PBOT does not operate TriMet buses, it can still play a major role in improving transit access and reliability by making small, but high impact changes to the streets where transit operates.
Transit Islands - Transit islands help improve bus reliability by allowing them to load and unload passengers without having to leave the travel lane. They also allow for more space on sidewalks at stations and can reduce conflicts with bicyclists.
Stop Optimization - Relocating a bus stop to the far side of an intersection or consolidating stops that are too close can greatly improve transit service.
Enhanced Crossings - Based on recommendations in PedPDX, Portland’s Pedestrian Master Plan, NWIM projects will make it easier to access the bus by improving crossings at or near transit stops.
Busy traffic streets are the places where crossing improvements and other roadway improvement projects can have the biggest benefit for the safety and comfort of people walking, biking, or accessing transit.
Corridor Safety is mainly focused on providing safe crossings of busy streets at regular intervals, but also includes improvements such as traffic calming, signal upgrades, pavement reconstruction, and bike lane enhancements.
Corridor Safety Improvement Projects are located on Northwest Portland’s busiest streets. While these streets carry higher volumes of vehicles, these projects use design tools to address conflicts between roadway users.
Enhanced Crossings - These designs elements help shorten the crossing distance or allow people walking to only have to navigate one lane of traffic at a time.
Curb Extensions - Curb extensions help improve the visibility of people walking and can help improve yielding compliance by people driving.
Signal Improvements - Unsignalized left turns on busy streets pose a major safety risk and can increase congestion. Separate signal phases can help reduce these potentially deadly conflicts.