After next summer, Northeast Killingsworth Street might have more median islands and crosswalks across a two-mile stretch than any other road in the city.

Starting this summer, the Portland Bureau of Transportation plans to build nine safer crossing treatments between NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and NE 42nd Ave (see below). That’s in addition to seven existing crossing treatments, bringing the total to 18 hardened or signalized crossings in the two-mile stretch. That’s about one place to cross every other block.

The impact on road users could be significant in terms traffic calming for drivers and stress-reducing potential for people on foot and on bikes.

According to the official project page, PBOT will construct crossings on NE Killingsworth at 7th, 22nd, 25th and 27th this summer. Crossings at 11th, 13th, 17th, 35th and Cesar Chavez will be constructed in the summer of 2025. Five of those locations will receive median islands. Curb extensions will be added to NE 17th and a “paint and post” crossing at NE 22nd will be upgraded to concrete islands.

The aim of the project is to slow down drivers and make it safer for people on foot, bikes — or anyone trying to cross. PBOT’s Vision Zero dashboard shows 16 crashes on this section of Killingsworth between 2014 and 2021. With this much new concrete on the relatively narrow neighborhood collector street, the projects should have a significant traffic calming effect.

PBOT also wants bring the corridor up to the crossing frequency guidelines set in their 2019 PedPDX citywide pedestrian plan.That plan set a standard for how often someone should find a crossing treatment in various parts of the city. This section of NE Killingsworth is classified in the Transportation System Plan (TSP) as a “major city walkway,” (the second most important walking designation, only below “pedestrian district”) which PBOT says should have a crossing at least every 800 feet (or every three blocks). According to PedPDX, only the segment between 27th and 33rd currently meets that standard.

One BikePortland reader who’s lived just off Killingsworth for 25 years shared with me via email, “As a local bicyclist I’m a little bit freaked out by this.” This person prefers to ride on Killingsworth (which is classified as a “local service bikeway,” the lowest possible priority) because it’s more direct than other nearby routes. He worries the new median islands and crossing treatments will make it less safe for cycling.

“I feel safe riding it because the street is so wide, so there’s lots of room for cars and bikes to avoid each other,” he wrote. “But these sorts of islands always seem to pinch the car traffic and the bike traffic together. I predict that this is going to make Killingsworth a lot harder for bicyclists and drivers to share.”

I have a hunch these additions to Killingsworth will make it better for all users — except people who like to speed and like to ignore other road users trying to cross in front of them.

The reader who shared their feelings on this project wondered if he was the only person who felt this way. I personally don’t ever bike on this section of Killingsworth because it just doesn’t feel safe (I’ll use the sidewalk instead). I general, I think the more concrete curbs in the road, the better. What about you?

PBOT plans to build four of the new crossings (7th, 22nd, 25th and 27th) this summer and finish the rest next summer. Check out the project website for more information.