sidewalk closure

The sidewalk is closed along Southwest Naito Parkway in downtown Portland on March 3, 2016, where an office and apartment building is under construction.

(Elliot Njus/Staff)

Portland is trying to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate construction zones -- even when it means closing a travel lane to cars.

The city's recent building boom, and associated sidewalk closures, has led to complaints from walkers and bikers that they were too often forced to dodge traffic to get around construction zones. Advocacy groups launched social media campaign, cataloging the worst offenders with the hashtag #WorkZoneWTF.

The Portland City Council will vote on a resolution this week, formalizing a policy the city has already applied in recent months. It requires construction firms to create a traffic management plan that preserves access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Update: The Portland City Council approved the policy in a 5-0 vote.

"We wanted to make sure the last resort was to close the sidewalk and to close the bike lane," said Faith Winegarden, the Portland Bureau of Transportation permitting manager. "We want to make sure every option has been explored."

Previously, closing a traffic lane wasn't considered an option to make room for pedestrians or a bike lane. Under the new policy, closing a sidewalk is considered a last resort, and closing a traffic lane to facilitate foot traffic is fair game.

It also pushes contractors to consider using covered walkways and, if pedestrians are moved to a walkway in the street, to build a temporary barrier from street traffic.

Clusters of construction mean worksites occasionally detoured pedestrians across the street even when construction has also closed that sidewalk, said Noel Mickelberry, the executive director of the pedestrian advocacy group Oregon Walks, and some of the closures lasted as long as a year.

Others closed sidewalks simply to use them as storage space, she said, such as for a portable toilet or construction materials.

Mickelberry said the new policy has already prompted improvement. More recent construction sites have included passage for pedestrians and bike lanes.

"When the city policy states that closing the sidewalk is the last resort, that's a really big improvement," she said.

The Portland City Council will consider the new policy at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus