Better bike lanes confirmed for key stretch of ‘Dirty 30’

They call it “Dirty 30” for a reason!
(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

Oregon’s Highway 30 is an extremely important part of the cycling network, so we watch very closely for any opportunity to make it better.

You might recall last fall when we shared a hopeful story about how the stretch of what many locals call “Dirty 30” for its often debris-filled bike lanes could see cycling upgrades as part of a major Oregon Department of Transportation repaving project.

Now we’ve gotten our first-ever look at plans that confirm what the bike lanes will look like…

ODOT plan drawing for Highway 30 between Saltzman and Bridge Ave.

To refresh, the $8.5 million U.S. 30 NW Industrial Area Repavement Project will repave 2.5 miles of the highway between NW Bridge Avenue (just beyond the southern ramp up to the St. Johns Bridge) and NW Saltzman Road — which is a legendary road that offers an excellent cycling connection into Forest Park, Leif Erikson, Skyline, and beyond. In addition to smooth pavement, ODOT will update signals at NW Bridge and NW Front avenues, add and improve ADA curb ramps, and “look for opportunities to improve the roadway for people using bikes.”

Map of project boundary from ODOT.

According to an ODOT cross-section drawing (above), the plan is to install a more consistent bike lane with a wider outer stripe. The current lane has a relatively thin outside stripe and the width varies from just two-feet in some spots to five feet in others. The ODOT drawing shows they’ll narrow the two inner general purpose lanes by one foot to make the bike lanes wider and more consistent.

Yes you read that right: ODOT will take space away from a general highway lane and use it to make bicycling conditions a bit better. There’s also been some talk (thanks to advocacy from Scott Kocher and others) of paving wider aprons to prevent gravel from spilling into bike lanes at several driveway locations.

We need to do a lot more to make Highway 30 safe for cycling. This is one small step.

Construction on this project will start in spring 2022. Learn more on ODOT’s website.

(I’ve asked ODOT for any other updates on this project and will update this story when/if I hear back).

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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