Traffic delays expected during June Green Line construction

Heavy construction to begin laying rails for the new MAX Green Line is scheduled to begin around Portland State June 11, starting at the corner of Southwest Fifth and Market and moving south toward Harrison Avenue.

The construction will continue through late August and close several streets to traffic during the summer. Southwest Fifth Avenue will be closed from Market to Harrison streets, and the three adjacent streets–Mill, Market and Harrison–will also be closed, according to Kay Dannen, community relations consultant for TriMet.

Dannen said that the construction will span the entire street, including sidewalks. Pedestrian bridges, provided by the Green Line’s general contractor Stacy & Witbeck/Kiewet Pacific, Inc., will be used to provide foot traffic with access to the businesses along Fifth Avenue, Dannen said.

“It’s going to be very busy, and we want to make sure that people walking through the area aren’t restricted in their paths,” Dannen said. “Vehicular traffic is going to be much more difficult, so drivers should plan for alternative routes and longer commutes.”

Joan Barnes, assistant vice president of university communications at Portland State, said that students should begin planning for the delays now. PSU will be sending out e-mails notifying students of the construction and updating students of any major disruptions to their commute, she said.

The daily construction schedule will include evening construction, according to Dan Zalkow, PSU Auxiliary Services transportation and parking manager. Construction could continue until 8 p.m. on weekdays, he said.

The Portland Streetcar will be shut down for electrical reasons during the weekend of July 6, Dannen said. Bus shuttles will service the stops between the Southwest Fifth and Harrison and the Gibbs terminus, located in the South Waterfront District. There will be regular bus shuttles between the two stops until construction is finished, Dannen said.

Dannen also said there will be additional track construction starting in October, continuing south along Fifth Avenue from Harrison Avenue to Southwest Jackson Street. There will be a brief hiatus during the holidays, followed by construction along northbound Southwest Sixth Avenue to connect the track railing from Jackson Street to Harrison Street beginning in 2008, Dannen said.

Updates concerning the Green Line construction are posted online regularly at www.portlandmall.org.