Work begins on improvements to several Eastside MAX stations

October 22, 2009

Projects funded with federal stimulus dollars

TriMet is beginning work this week on the first of several stimulus-funded projects aimed at improving rider and pedestrian safety, security and convenience at Eastside MAX stations.

Crews power wash chipping paint in advance of painting the shelter roof at TriMet's E 162nd Ave MAX station. Credit: Thomas Le Ngo

TriMet is using federal stimulus funds to repaint six MAX stations, starting at the E 162nd Ave station in Gresham.

Some Eastside MAX stations have had limited refurbishments over the years and are in need of painting. Federal stimulus funds allow TriMet to paint six stations over the next six weeks, weather permitting. After 162nd Ave station, painting will occur at the E 102nd Ave, E 122nd Ave, E 181st Ave, Ruby Junction/E 197th Ave and Gresham Central stations.

Upcoming projects

TriMet is also upgrading various street and rail crossings at 11 light rail stations along Eastside MAX beginning in November. The work includes installing bollards, chains and railings to channel pedestrians to help them be more aware of train movement. Crews will also install signs or pavement markings such as "Look Both Ways," "Stop Here," and "Danger No Trespassing."

Several other stimulus projects on the eastside are in the works in the coming months:

Bike improvements

• Replacing and adding bike lockers at six stations, increasing bike locker parking from 36 bikes to 72 bikes
• Refurbishing and reopening secured bike cage at Gresham Central, holding 30 bikes
• Work scheduled to start in November

Access control and illumination

• Installation of fencing, lighting and signage to improve safety, security and fare compliance at Gresham Central MAX station
• Scheduled to start in December

Tactile paver replacement

• Replacement of damaged and worn tactile pavers that alert riders of trackway at five stations

Job retention

The contractor for station painting is Aadland Evans Contractors, Inc. Subcontractors include A2 Fabrications, Suell Painting and COAT Flagging, all of which are part of TriMet's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.

Federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have retained three jobs and prevented nine layoffs among the contractor and three subcontractors working on this project.

About TriMet stimulus funds

TriMet was awarded $53.3 million in federal stimulus funds to be used to fix failing infrastructure, make the transit system more robust and put Oregonians to work. TriMet's 31 stimulus projects are projected to fund about 740 direct jobs and 1,100 indirect jobs.

For more information visit TriMet: http://trimet.org/news/releases/oct22_morestimulus.htm

GreenWorks = Green Streets

From our recent emailer:  "Green streets provide many benefits such as creating a more pedestrian friendly street, addressing stormwater in a more environmental and economical way, and improving water quality.

GreenWorks has designed over 30 green street projects in Oregon, Washington and California.

Beavercreek Green Street recently received an American Public Works Association 2009 National Project of the Year Award."

Green Streets in American Nurseryman

The article 'Green Streets for Green Cities', was recently published in the August 2009 issue of American Nurseryman magazine.  The article outlines GreenWorks' work with the City of Portland - taken up the challenge of converting gray pavement to green oases, protecting the region’s ecosystem through more efficient — and more aesthetic — management of stormwater.

An excerpt from the article.  Check out the AN website for online version of the article (by subscription):

"Using soil and vegetation, Green Streets mimic natural conditions to manage runoff on the surface, at the source. The plants absorb water, and their roots help water soak into the ground. Plant roots and soil bacteria help break down stormwater pollutants. Roots, insects and worms increase the space between soil particles and increase stormwater storage. Green Streets can be attractive neighborhood amenities, and a variety of plants can provide a range of looks."

Historic Kenton Main Street to Get Makeover

On Tuesday, August 25th a crowd braved a spot of summer rain to attend a  news conference to kick off Kenton business district streetscape project.  Portland Mayor Sam Adams and representatives of the Portland Development Commission, Multnomah County Libraries, N. Denver Avenue businesses, and the Kenton Neighborhood Association were all in attendance.  Some info from the PDC media advisory:

"Lots of new changes are coming to a historic part of town as a full range of streetscape improvements begin construction on N. Denver Avenue, the main street in the Kenton neighborhood. Construction is expected to begin in early September to renovate the 4.5-block stretch of N. Denver Avenue (Interstate Avenue south to Watts Street).  Improvements include wider sidewalks, new street trees, stormwater planters, pedestrian lighting, concrete street resurfacing, a granite public art sculpture and seven carved stone benches. The $2.85 million N. Denver Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project is funded by PDC in coordination with the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The city has been working with local businesses, community representatives, and technical experts since 2006 to plan the right mix of attractive, functional improvements.

The N. Denver Avenue project exemplifies the vision of 20-minute neighborhoods called out as a key element of the city’s new economic development strategy. Related revitalization projects include Multnomah County’s remodeling of 8226 N. Denver for a new North Portland library branch;  renovation of the iconic Paul Bunyan statue at the intersection of N. Denver and Interstate Avenue; and the opening of new businesses in the district. "

Images © GreenWorks PC.  For more information about this project check out our website.  Also see these recent articles in the Portland Business Journal and the Portland Tribune.

Green Streets on ASLA Website

A recent article authored by Jason King and Shawn Kummer appeared in the ASLA Urban Design Professional Practice Network - discussing some recent work on green street projects and their role in shaping urban form.

"Green streets, like many other green infrastructure strategies, offer the same or better functional contributions as gray streets, as well as a range of added benefits. For example, green storm water design contributes to communities well beyond treating 90% of roadway pollutants, replenishing groundwater, sequestering carbon, and improving air quality. More expansive community benefits include improved neighborhood aesthetics, green connections, pedestrian and bicycle safety, traffic calming, and building community consensus around what is a good infrastructure investment. This transfer of investment from single-purpose gray infrastructure such as cartridge storm filters to multi-purpose green infrastructure investment allows for greater benefit to communities—both financially and environmentally—making every dollar invested pay back abundantly. The economics are simple: green storm water infrastructure provides more green in our communities, costs less, works better, is easily scalable, and is more resilient and adaptable than standard pipe systems. While the techniques to improve the control and treatment of storm water runoff are still evolving, green stormwater designs, like many other green infrastructure techniques, are proving to be flexible, offering solutions at a variety of scales rather than just at the end of the pipe. "

Read the entire article here.

Kenton Streetscape in Portland Monthly

 Some recent press regarding the Denver Avenue Green Main Street project, in the Kenton Neighborhood of North Portland.  This is excerpted from the Portland Monthly article "Upgrade Avenue: Kenton gets a million-dollar makeover"...  by Rachel Ritchie - Published July 2009

  "IF EVER A PATCH OF PAVEMENT could capture the multiple personalities of Portland’s past, present, and future, it would be the intersection of N Denver and N Interstate Avenues in the historic Kenton neighborhood. Here, a giant statue of Paul Bunyan stares down at the ramshackle all-nude roadhouse Dancin’ Bare while the Euro-futuristic cars of the MAX light-rail glide by. Kenton was home to Portland’s stockyards and the meatpacking titan Swift & Company in the early 1900s; legend has it that so many cattle were slaughtered in the neighborhood, the Columbia Slough ran red. Over the years, Kenton held fast to its gritty pioneer character (Exhibit A: The Bunyan statue), but minus pedestrian-friendly amenities like benches and crosswalks, its business district—the car-clogged N Denver Avenue—foundered, becoming perennially studded with vacant properties. But now the Portland Development Commission (PDC) is offering up a bundle of new business loans, plus $2.85 million for the Denver Streetscape Project, a six-month-long renovation set to begin in August. Here’s a preview of Kenton’s next incarnation. Green Street Not only will N Denver Avenue’s sidewalks be widened from ten to fifteen feet and its three car lanes cut down to two, but by year’s end, the thoroughfare will be one of Portland’s first fully retrofitted green main streets. The pavement will be replaced with concrete, which retains less heat than asphalt, thus reducing cooling needs for adjacent businesses. Stormwater planters on every block will capture and sift runoff from the roads and sidewalks while adding a hint of street-level lushness. New Business To encourage N Denver Avenue’s rebirth as an urban boutique district à la N Mississippi Avenue and NE Alberta Street, the PDC is subsidizing small-business loans. One early taker: Kenton resident Jessie Burke, who, in May, opened Posie’s Café (posiescafe.com), a charming coffee shop committed to supporting fellow local businesses. (She sells coffee from Ristretto Roasters, pastries from Florio on N Willamette Avenue, and wraps from White Girls Can Wrap.) Paul Bunyan The mythological concrete-troweled lumberjack, who earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places this year, was built in 1959 for Oregon’s Centennial celebration and has since remained the icon of Kenton. He’ll stay put, but the plaza he stands in will soon be dressed up with trees, greenery, and seating. Kenton Library Hennebery Eddy Architects has designed a new six-thousand-square-foot Multnomah County library branch, slated for completion in 2010, that will provide Kenton bibliophiles with a home. The neighborhood has lacked a library since its founding in 1909. Mauricio Saldaña Sculpture Portland artist Mauricio Saldaña, a third-generation stone carver, will create a granite sculpture to stand at the corner of N Denver Avenue and Kilpatrick Street, as well as seven concrete-and-granite benches that will be planted along the corners of the street."

Presenting Green Streets

 GreenWorks has been running around the state presenting on innovative green street projects, including City of Eugene, Lane County, the Oregon APWA, and Willamette Valley Chapter of the Oregon APWA, amongst others.  Stay tuned for more educational opportunities around this green infrastructure solution throughout the region.

Mike Faha is a landscape architect and Principal of GreenWorks in Portland, Oregon. Over his career, Mike has been instrumental in developing and integrating innovative stormwater management strategies throughout Oregon and Washington for many public agencies and private developers. Jason King is a Senior Associate at GreenWorks, focusing on public and private landscape architecture projects that integrate sustainable stormwater seamlessly into the urban fabric.

The presentation will consist of a short introduction of green streets for stormwater management, including a number of lessons learned from around the Pacific Northwest. Using case studies ranging from a variety of street projects, Mike and Jason will show the regulatory drivers behind green streets, and the widespread applicability throughout communities. The presentation will include technical and design details, stormwater function, optimal configuration, maintenance, and potential regional funding opportunities.

Franklin High School Bike Parking

Some great comments around one of GreenWorks pro-bono projects. Associate Alexandra Perove has been work with Franklin High School to create expanded bike parking facilities... and aside from the final touches of plants and some seatwalls, the project is looking good. A snippet from 'Local high school does bike parking right', recently posted by Jonathan Maus on the BikePortland.org blog.

Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on May 6th, 2009 at 8:00 am (all text and photos from BikePortland.org - check out the article for more pics and an interesting comment stream)

"Local high school does bike parking right

When students and staff arrive at the campus of Benjamin Franklin High School in Southeast Portland (5405 SE Woodward), they’re greeted with an important message: Bikes are respected, encouraged, and accommodated for.

The message isn’t something you read on a poster. It’s implied — by rows of perfectly spaced staple racks installed on concrete slabs surrounded by attractive cobblestones and located smack dab near the main entrance of the school. (A roof would make this parking perfect, and sources say that’s in the works). There are 18 staple racks, room for 36 bikes. With the generous spacing between them, cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, recumbents and even freak bikes have plenty of breathing room (for themselves and their owners). According to Jeff Smith at the Bureau of Transportation, the racks were installed with the help of parent volunteer Jeremy Sarant and Franklin High students. The school has a vocational/technical focus so students from a shop class prepped the area, poured the concrete and installed the cobblestones. (Smith says they plan on covering the racks soon). The total cost of the project was about $2000, with $900 spent on racks and $1100 on installation. Funds for the project came from a small pot (less than $5,000 total, that is used for hundreds of racks at schools throughout the city) that Smith sets aside each year for bike parking at schools and special events. Smith uses the money specifically for schools that aren’t a part of the federally funded Safer Routes to Schools program. Here’s more from Smith:

“This came out of the realization that if you wait for schools to fund bike parking, you’re likely to be waiting a long time — it’s just not going to make it far enough up the list of essential school services at most schools in the current desperate funding climate.”

In the last year or so, Smith figures he’s put in about 170 bike parking spaces at schools throughout the city. This seems like a great example of how the city can work with a school, get students involved, and deliver a low-cost, high impact project that encourages biking and good transportation choices."

Sherman Pass wins AGC award

As reported in the Associated Construction Publications, The Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors presented its 2008 Build Northwest Awards, and a special recognition was given to the

Sherman Pass Scenic Byway Corridor Plan in the Colville National Forest in Washington. The team included: Burton Construction Inc. for Sherman Pass Byway; owner, USDA Forest Service — Colville National Forest; Alpine Construction; Landscape Architect: GreenWorks; Civil: Taylor Engineering; and Interpretive Graphics: 1+2 Design. The contract amount for the project was $474,100.

"Projects are judged by an independent panel on the following criteria: meeting the challenge of a difficult job; excellence in project management; contractor's innovation in construction techniques or materials; contractor's state-of-the-art advancement; contractor's sensitivity to the environment and surroundings; excellence in client service; and contractor's contribution to the community."

Sherman Pass National Forest Scenic Byway follows a 35 mile stretch along State Route 20 through the Colville National Forest in the northeastern corner of Washington, traveling over the highest yearly maintained pass in the state along the way at 5,575 feet. Check out some additional images, and a more detailed description of GreenWorks role in the project below:

GreenWorks was contracted by the Colville National Forest to develop a corridor master plan guide for the Byway, which has been identified as an opportunity to boost tourism in the region. Following analysis of the corridor and input from stakeholder groups, schematic site design improvements were developed for existing interpretive waysides as well as new potential sites. Conceptual designs for Byway gateway signs, site identifications signs, kiosks and pavilion structures were also developed, as well as a Byway logo which has since been adopted. In working with Forest Service staff and stakeholders, GreenWorks also developed an interpretive guide for the Byway, which developed an overall Byway theme and organized the important historical and ecological stories into interpretive themes for each of the sites.

GreenWorks was awarded a second contract with the Forest Service and was the project lead in developing construction design drawings for the Byway. This work included site design drawings for three proposed new sites on the Byway. Other elements that were detailed in the design package included wood and stone masonry gateway signs, site identification signs, kiosks, pavilion structures and stone masonry walls. Construction on this project was completed in August of 2008.

all images copyright (c) 2009 - GreenWorks PC

Beavercreek Sustainability

Construction was completed last fall on the Beavercreek Road Green Street project, which was also recipient of an honorable mention for Project of the Year from the Oregon APWA.   The Beavercreek Road Improvements Project was a $4.2 million project undertaken by the City of Oregon City to upgrade 2500 feet of a heavily traveled regional arterial. Beavercreek Road is the primary link between Highway 213 and the City's main north-south arterial, Molalla Avenue. The project, a major component in the City’s Transportation System Plan, expanded the existing three-lane roadway to five lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks on each side. It also incorporated green street design elements for stormwater collection, reduction, and treatment. The project’s design and construction engineering was completed by Wallis Engineering, along with GreenWorks for landscape architecture with construction completed by Dirt and Aggregate Interchange, Inc. and landscape construction from Fox Erosion Control.

Check out the project in more detail in this video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z-75pERCu0]