County wins $2 million Safe Routes grant to add sidewalks, ADA ramps and bike lanes on 223rd

Multnomah County staff told the Fairview City Council on Nov. 20 that the county received a $2 million Oregon Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School grant to build sidewalks, ADA ramps and bike lanes along a section of 223rd Avenue.

"The county applied for and was awarded a Safe Route to School grant," said Sarah Jeffrey, a Multnomah County road engineer. Jeffrey said the grant program accepts projects every other year, accepts requests from $60,000 to $3 million, and that ODOT will fund up to 75% of project costs to the grant amount. She said the county’s 2022 estimate for the project was $2.6 million.

Jeffrey summarized the preliminary grant design presented to the council: sidewalks on the west side of 223rd from the end of new apartments to Bridge Street, bike lanes on both sides raised to sidewalk level in some sections, ADA ramps where walkways connect to Cedar and Lincoln streets, and two proposed vegetated water-quality treatment facilities. She cautioned the bioswale-like features raise maintenance and permitting questions.

Project schedule and funding constraints were highlighted. "We received the 2 million," Jeffrey said, adding the county expects to reach about 30% design in the near term and aims for construction in summer 2026. She noted right-of-way acquisition typically takes at least a year and that the grant execution in 2023 gives the county until 2028 to complete the work.

Councilors and residents pressed staff on several practical concerns. One councilor asked whether a house abutting the roadway would pose clearance or access problems for the new sidewalk; staff said the parcel may predate the county right-of-way and they would investigate the title/right-of-way history. Several speakers raised traffic and parking worries tied to nearby apartment construction, delivery trucks and semis using 223rd, and asked whether construction parking permitted by the county would become permanent. Jeffrey said construction parking allowances were intended to be temporary and noted developers submit traffic studies as part of land-use approvals.

On stormwater, a councilor asked why the project would add water-quality facilities where a creek already provides natural filtration. Jeffrey said water discharges must meet capacity and permitting standards and that staff had explored directing runoff to existing systems but faced capacity constraints; maintenance obligations also factored into design choices.

Jeffrey said public outreach will continue during design via the project website, news releases and mailers and that property owners will receive direct notice ahead of construction. For follow-up, she recommended city input on corridor-level planning such as signal timing and visibility at Bridge Street, an intersection several speakers described as having constrained sightlines for schoolchildren and residents.

The presentation closed with staff reiterating that the grant package limits the scope of changes the county can fund, but that some elements may be adjusted through subsequent design steps and coordinated right-of-way work.