New Burside-Couch Couplet Set to Debut

Click on image to enlarge

After years of planning and six months of disruptive construction, the Burnside-Couch couplet is ready to go, and traffic pattern changes will begin April 4th.

The project is constructed on existing roadways from Northeast 14th Avenue to Northeast 3rd Avenue. Burnside and Couch Streets become a one-way couplet system, with eastbound traffic in three lanes on Burnside Street and westbound traffic in two lanes on Couch Street.

The city hopes the project will accomplish several things:

*Enhanced vehicle and transit access and traffic flow through the couplet.

*Reduced traffic conflicts between cars and bicycles.

*Significantly improved pedestrian safety.

*Assembling of two new city blocks for potential redevelopment at Northeast Sandy Boulevard and Northeast 14th Avenue.

*Improved access to businesses with left turns at all intersections and new on-street parking spaces on Burnside.

One of the most drastic changes in this project is the elimination of the complicated diagonal Northeast Sandy Boulevard/Burnside intersection which, from 12th to 14th avenues, will ultimately to be turned into a walkable and commercial hub. Traffic will be rerouted around closed-off blocks to eliminate this complex six-way “spaghetti” intersection.

For those trying to navigate in this area in the coming weeks, here are some things to keep in mind (from The Oregonian's Hard Drive Commuting Blog):

TWO-WAYS TO ONE-WAYS

Are you ready for this? Here’s the stage-by-stage plan to redirect traffic to the couplet:

Week of March 21: Sandy Boulevard will have lane closures at Northeast 14th Avenue, with one lane open in each direction as crews install a traffic signal and island at the intersection. Avoid the intersections of Sandy and 12th through 14th avenues. Expect delays on Sandy.

Week of March 28: Sandy closed for good between 12th and 14th. Couch Street will be converted to a one-way street between 14th and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Sandy westbound will be diverted to Couch Street. Watch for detours to the Burnside Bridge. Sandy eastbound, meanwhile, will be diverted to Burnside (detour is Sandy to Burnside to 20th to Sandy). Avoid Sandy and Burnside from 12th to 20th avenues.

Week of April 4: East Burnside will be converted to a one-way street between the Burnside Bridgehead and 14th, while 14th is converted to a one-way between Burnside and Couch. The new westbound connection from Couch to Burnside Bridge will open. Expect long delays on Burnside.

Week of April 11: Completion of the conversion of Burnside and Couch from two-way streets between the bridgehead and 14th to a one-way couplet. Construction continues on Burnside to finish the streetscape with lane closures during nonpeak hours (thank you, PBOT!).

Here is a video from Joseph Rose's Hard Drive Commuting Blog on Oregonlive.com that provides a nice explanation of the changes to expect:

Portland's Burnside/Couch Couplet

What do you think of the Burnside-Couch Couplet project? After you've had a chance to navigate it, let me know what you think!