Steve's Place<p>Great for the students. Less swell for commuters. Let's check the 10-day weather forecast...</p><p>Not terrible. In fact, there are these weird sunny days in the middle. One of them is predicted to hit 77F. Ha ha. It will probably be 119F.</p><p>[Across the entire metropolitan area, phalanxes of air conditioners are readied for action.]</p><p>From PBOT:</p><p>"The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises the traveling public that the second phase of paving work on SW Fourth Avenue will begin Thursday, March 20. This second phase of paving work is focused on the eastern lanes of SW Fourth Avenue between SW Lincoln and SW Harrison streets near Portland State University. Later phases of work will repave SW Fourth Avenue northward to West Burnside.</p><p>During this phase of paving work, contractors working on behalf of PBOT will excavate the existing pavement, repair the road base, and pave back with new asphalt. The existing pavement on SW Fourth Avenue is severely deteriorated in the section, with cracking and water infiltration that extends below the surface of the roadway.</p><p>To address the failing road base, crews working on behalf of PBOT will perform a full-depth reconstruction to rebuild the roadway from the ground up to provide a long-lasting street. Crews will start with excavating the eastern lanes of SW Fourth Avenue between SW Lincoln and SW Harrison streets by removing the damaged pavement. Once excavation and repairs to the roadway base are complete, they will return to lay new asphalt pavement on top of the new road base, ensuring a durable driving surface that will last for decades to come.</p><p>This work has been scheduled over Portland Public Schools' and Portland State University’s Spring Break to minimize disruption and traffic impacts. Weather dependent, it is scheduled to be completed by Sunday, March 30. This second phase of paving follows earlier paving work in this segment completed this summer on the western side of the roadway.</p><p>One lane of SW Fourth Avenue will remain open during construction. People driving, biking and taking transit on SW Fourth Avenue can expect delays, especially during the morning and evening commutes. Parking near the work zone will be restricted during construction. Vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle access will be maintained.</p><p>Starting tomorrow, March 20, Exit 1B (Fourth Avenue Exit) from I-405 northbound will be closed, with drivers detoured to the next exit Exit 1C (Sixth Ave Exit). The Fourth Avenue exit is expected to reopen by 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, weather dependent.</p><p>Access to PSU’s 4th Avenue Parking Garage at 1900 SW Fourth Avenue will be restricted for paving operations starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday March 29. Access will be restored by Sunday, March 30 at 5 p.m.<br>A freshly poured new ADA-compliant curb extension at the SW Fourth and Columbia intersection. Photo by PBOT.</p><p>A freshly poured new ADA-compliant curb extension at the SW Fourth and Columbia intersection. Photo by PBOT.</p><p>Over the next three weeks active construction will also be underway at the intersections of SW Fourth Avenue at Madison and Main streets. This work will be focused on upgrading corner ramps to meet modern accessibility standards and installing foundations and conduit for updated streetlights. Required sawcutting and demolition will be noisy at times. This work is setting the stage for the third phase of paving work later this summer.</p><p>Work on SW Fourth Avenue continues to progress northward to West Burnside, with a focus on replacing outdated corner ramps with new ADA-compliant ones. PBOT expects the full paving project to be completed by the end of 2025.<br>Map showing current construction activity on SW Fourth Ave.<br>Go slow and use caution to keep crews safe when traveling near work zones</p><p>We ask the public to travel slowly and cautiously in work zones, observe all detours and directions by reader boards and flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible. As always, please keep crews safe by following all traffic control signs and flaggers while travelling through or near work zones. Parking near the work zone will be restricted during construction. Vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle access will be maintained.</p><p>PBOT will provide periodic updates throughout construction. To sign up for construction updates, visit www.portland.gov/sw4thAve.</p><p>Thank you for your cooperation and patience while we complete this work."</p><p><a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/PBOT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PBOT</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/Portland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Portland</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/Oregon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Oregon</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/PDX" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PDX</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/traffic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>traffic</span></a> <a href="https://mastodon.stevesworld.co/tags/construction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>construction</span></a></p>