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The Portland City Council has unanimously approved taking ownership of 82nd Avenue, paving the way to fulfill longstanding community aspirations for the street to become a safe community destination rather than a highway.

The transfer of ownership of the road from the Oregon Department of Transportation to the Portland Bureau of Transportation becomes official June 1. On that date, service requests for everything from potholes and snowplowing to permits for utility work and long-term planning become the responsibility of PBOT. The Building a Better 82nd project includes near-term critical fixes followed by additional future investments. For critical fixes, PBOT will invest $80 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding during the next four years. These dollars were approved by the Oregon Legislature to design and deliver lighting, safer pedestrian crossings, pavement repair, and sidewalk accessibility upgrades. These improvements will be followed by future projects to be paid for via $105 million in state and local funding, available in 2026.

Beginning this fall, PBOT will work in partnership with the community to identify and prioritize future transportation investments through the community engagement process, including online and in-person community forums, focus groups, surveys, and partnerships with existing community organizations. PBOT will work with organizations including Oregon Walks and APANO to amplify community voices, particularly those people who are historically underrepresented in planning processes. PBOT will continue to work with government partners including Metro, TriMet, and other city bureaus to coordinate responses to community needs and deliver improvements.

Long known as one of the most dangerous streets in Portland, 82nd Avenue is home to some of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Oregon. The seven-mile road stretches from Northeast Killingsworth Street in the Cully neighborhood to the Clackamas County line at Southeast Clatsop Street in the Lents neighborhood. More than 20,000 vehicle trips take place daily on 82nd Avenue. Bus Line 72 on the corridor has the highest ridership of any bus route in the TriMet regional public transit system.