City of Portland SW 6 th Avenue & Jackson Street Intersection Solution Study 1 Presented By: Josh Crain Robert Acevedo Xiaowei Wu Chengxin Dai

Presentation Outline 2 Introduction Existing Conditions Intersection Concerns Recommendations Cost/Benefits analysis

Introduction Intersection of : SW 6 th Ave & SW Jackson St Located in: City of Portland Multnomah County, Oregon 1 mile SW of Pioneer Court- House Square Street ownership SW 6 th Ave & SW Jackson St – City of Portland I-405 exit ramp - ODOT 3

Existing Conditions - Land Use Max Station : Opens in September 2009 Locates at East of the intersection PSU Broadway Building: Commercial on the first floor Starbuck locates at the NW corner of the intersection Residential Four-plex Street parking on SW 6 th Ave in front of the building SW Jackson St SW 6 th Ave I-405 exit ramp SW 6 th Ave 4

Existing Conditions - Geometry “Nontraditional” four-leg intersection SW 6 th Ave: One-way street (NB) Two lane South of the intersection Three lane North of the intersection (I-405 exit ramp merge into SW 6 th Ave) Bike lane ends prior to the intersection SW Jackson St Two-way street ( WB & EB) One lane WB; one lane EB EB ends at the intersection due to the Max station East of the intersection Pedestrian island separating SW 6 th Ave and I-405 exit ramp Light rail track on SW 6 th Ave East of the intersection 5

Looking Northbound on SW 6 th Ave I-405 exit ramp merge into traffic 6

Looking Eastbound on SW Jackson St Left Turn only 7

Existing Conditions – Traffic Control Unsignalized intersection Stop sign on SW Jackson St EB Signalized intersection on SW 6 th Ave downstream No speed sign on site Pedestrian crossing sign on site No pedestrian cross walk striping on site 8

Looking Northbound on SW 6 th Ave Pedestrian Crossing sign on site 9

Existing Condition – Public Transportation Tri-met bus service back on SW 5 th and 6 th Ave on May 24 th 2009 Bus line # 1, 8, 9, 19, 68, 94 on SW 6 th Ave No bus stop at the intersection Max green line light-rail tracks East of the intersection on SW 6 th Ave Protective cable, guard rail, and landscape on site 10

Looking Northbound on SW 6 th Ave Max station East of the intersection 11

Looking Northbound on SW 6 th Ave Light rail track East of the intersection

Intersection Concern 13

Recommendations 14 1.Stripe Crosswalk 2.Speed Limit Signs 3.Stripe End of Bike Lane 4.Stripe Restricted Exit Lane on 6 th Ave 5.Rumble Strips on Freeway Off-ramp 6.Pedestrian Warning & Crosswalk Lights 7.Bollards in Pedestrian Island 8.Update Guide Signs on I-5 & I Outreach to Businesses on Travel Directions 10.Other Possible Improvements

Stripe Crosswalk 15 Crosswalk should have been striped after construction. Did the contractor miss it?

Speed Limit Signs 16 There are no signs in this area indicating to drivers that they are entering the downtown core with a 20 mph speed limit. Add speed limit signs to: Freeway off-ramp 6 th Avenue before Jackson Street

Stripe End of Bike Lane 17 Stripe an exit flange at the end of the bike lane on 6 th Street. Makes it apparent to drivers that cyclists will merge with car traffic.

Stripe Restricted Exit Lane on 6th Ave 18 Striping prohibits drivers from dangerous weave maneuver, changing lanes twice in less than 200 feet. 30% of off-ramp traffic turns left on College St. Drivers are attention is focused to their left merge rather than pedestrians in the crosswalk on their right.

Stripe Restricted Exit Lane on 6th Ave 19 ProhibitedPermitted

Rumble Strips on Freeway Off-ramp 20 Will alert drivers that they are entering a slow-speed area where they need to pay extra attention. Increased crosswalk compliance in Boulder, CO by 25%

Pedestrian Warning & Crosswalk Lights 21 Downside – Pedestrians may perceive security from lights and step in front of cars. Add pushbutton activated in-pavement flashing lights at the crosswalk and on the pedestrian warning signs. Drivers in the left lane and Jackson Street may not see pedestrians but will see flashing crosswalk lights.

Bollards in Pedestrian Island 22 Add two bollards in the pedestrian island to shield them from errant vehicles. Notice the center sign is missing? Someone hit it last weekend with their car.

Update Guide Signs on I-5 & I Current guide signs on I-5 and I-405 route hospital traffic to the 6 th Avenue exit. Update the guide signs to direct this traffic to 4 th Avenue. Reduces exposure for pedestrians at mid-block crossing. Reduces number of weaving vehicles on 6 th Avenue. 4th Avenue provides 460 feet before left turn to College. Signalized intersection at 4 th & Lincoln forces freeway drivers to adjust to pedestrian speeds.

Outreach to Businesses 24 OHSU directs travelers to take 6 th Avenue exit and turn left on College Street. Target high traffic generating businesses. Advise businesses of safest routes for their customers. Google Maps, Mapquest, etc. are not yet updated to reflect changes in traffic patterns on the new mall.

Other Recomendations 25 1.Add another parking kiosk for PSU parking structure on the West entrance to reduce queuing on 6 th Street. 2.Upgrade Hall/Broadway, Harrison/Broadway signals to accommodate increased volume of left turning vehicles. Split pedestrian and left turn phases. 3.Additional enforcement at this location.

Cost/Benifits 26