County officials update Fairview on Sandy Boulevard safety plan; construction expected to start in 2027

Multnomah County staff and consultants updated the Fairview City Council Wednesday on the Safe Sandy Boulevard planning project, including community engagement results, an existing-conditions assessment and draft corridor concepts that will guide design and later construction.

County consultants said Phase 1 outreach this spring and summer included street canvassing, tabling at events, meetings with local organizations (including the school district, Smith Memorial Church, trucking groups and Fairview Terrace HOA) and a public survey that drew about 400 responses. Respondents’ top concerns were roadway condition, missing or broken sidewalks and pedestrian safety; being struck while walking or biking ranked among the top three worries.

The corridor has been divided into four segments to reflect differing land uses and right-of-way constraints: Segment 1 (Southeast Forest to Fairway Parkway), Segment 2 (Ferry Parkway to Boston Hill Road/Cliff Hollow area), Segment 3 (Fairview Terrace and the new apartment development area) and Segment 4 (approach to the industrial park near Amazon). Consultants said some right-of-way widths are narrow (about 50 feet in constrained areas) and that stormwater and culvert/fish-passage upgrades will be necessary in parts of the corridor.

Concepts presented include two cross-section options: Option A with a raised bike lane and sidewalk, and Option B that pairs a sidewalk with a multi-use path (shared-use path). Consultants flagged tradeoffs — the multi-use path needs less right-of-way but sacrifices a separated bike lane, while raised or protected bike lanes require additional width or tradeoffs elsewhere. The plan also recommends improved crossings, lighting upgrades informed by a photometric analysis, leading pedestrian intervals at signals and transit stop improvements where riders lack safe mid-block crossings.

Timing: the planning phase will be completed in late 2025; staff expect to procure engineering design for the first segment in May 2026. Consultants estimated roughly a year for final design and right-of-way work, with segment construction likely to be advertised for bid in 2027. Councilors asked staff to continue outreach; county staff said the second round of outreach (including a survey on the two cross-section options) begins next week and that a December work session will present a more developed draft plan to the council.

Details: the consultants identified lighting, sidewalks, stormwater and intersection improvements as priorities; an engineering design procurement for the first segment is planned for May 2026; constrained right-of-way near Cliff Hollow (approx. 50 ft) and fish-passage culvert upgrades were highlighted as technical issues needing further study.