By Francesca “Frankie” Silverstein
As of Monday, May 18, paving is underway on 82nd Ave. between SE Clinton and SE Brooklyn streets. Throughout weekdays in May, the asphalt on the inside lanes will be replaced with three inches of new blacktop, and the outside lanes will be excavated before 13 inches of pavement are added. Only one lane in each direction will remain open, likely causing delays. Other sections of the street will be paved through the end of July. These include SE Powell Blvd. to SE Bush St., SE Schiller St. to Raymond Ct. and SE Raymond Ct. to SE Foster Rd.
This work is part of the overarching 82nd Avenue Major Maintenance Project (MMP), led by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT). PBOT spokesperson Dylan Rivera explains, “We have more than $40 million to focus on bringing large sections of 82nd Ave. up to modern standards for pavement condition and safety for everyone who’s traveling in the corridor.” Beyond fixing the pavement, PBOT plans to add ADA curb ramps, pedestrian and bike signals, median islands and—what some would argue is the most notable—more than 175 trees.
Jacob Loeb, a community advocate who served as a member of the Build a Better 82nd Community Advisory Group, explains the necessity of such updates: “[82nd Ave.] historically acts more like a barrier than a neighborhood street.” With high numbers of crashes, water damage in the pavement and a lack of safe crossings, community members have long been calling for improvements. The requested improvements began to become reality in 2022, when ownership of the street transferred from the Oregon Department of Transportation to PBOT and the project commenced.
The seven-mile stretch of road is a cornerstone of Portland; it boasts the busiest transit line—72—and serves as a connector to valued community destinations like the Jade District and McDaniel High School. Accordingly, community input has been a key focus throughout each stage of the project. Rivera highlights, “A lot of the things that we’re doing have origins in neighborhood meetings, school community meetings [and] business association meetings.”
However, it’s the last group that has voiced the most opposition to the project. The main concern is that street closures mean less visitors for the businesses along the street. Zachary Lauritzen, 82nd Avenue Coalition Manager, explains, “When you do big transportation projects, the community that lives on that corridor pays the price—they shoulder the burden, and that’s no different right now on 82nd Ave There are not enough resources to help our business community.”
Business concerns also extend beyond the immediate future. Loeb adds additional insight: “Businesses I spoke to are concerned about changes to traffic flow on 82nd Ave., particularly regarding left-turn controls and median island placement…With those perspectives in mind, PBOT worked to incorporate business access into designs while maintaining safety goals as a top priority.” The hope is that by making 82nd Ave. more accessible, the project will actually eventually drive more traffic to local businesses.
For many community members, wanting safer access to businesses was a core component of their advocacy. “They want to be able to go down and get a boba tea or go shopping at Fubonn, and do that by bike or walking…and that’s not a reality right now,” explains Lauritzen.
Though the May to July construction is a minute part of the overall project, the paving efforts are concrete progress towards making community goals a reality. Even in the face of traffic delays and frustrations for small businesses, the overall sense is one of cautious excitement. “This is not the final fix for 82nd Ave., but it is a needed first step,” says Loeb.
Construction along 82nd Ave. in 2025. Similar efforts will continue in 2026. Photo by PBOT.
