Monroe Street Greenway

City of Milwaukie Oregon Official Website

Update (9.15.2022): For the most up-to-date information about this project, please consult the Milwaukie Engineering Department's project webpage, Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway

Update (12.4.2018): The city has funded a project to build sidewalks for safer pedestrian crossings on Linwood Avenue between Harmony Road and Monroe Street that will begin construction in 2021. Serious collisions at the intersection of Monroe and Linwood, however, have prompted staff to design and install a temporary safety project on a more aggressive timeline. Almost half of the 37 reported crashes at Monroe and Linwood since 2013 are linked to people crossing Linwood on Monroe, or turning left. The Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway Plan recommended installation of a traffic diverter at this location to prevent cross traffic and restrict turns to right in and right out only. The city is working with Clackamas County to design a temporary version of this diverter for installation in December.

While this change in traffic circulation is significant and will take some getting used to, city staff believe it is necessary to address the immediate safety needs at this location. For more information about the project, or to speak with staff to learn more, visit milwaukiesafe.org.

Update: A traffic analysis was completed by DKS in March 2018 with a primary focus on lowering daily volume of vehicles on Monroe Street. The analysis is intended to review the concept plans to verify which elements to provide for Monroe Street to function most effectively as a neighborhood greenway and active transportation connection. The findings of the traffic analysis generally support the recommendations from the city and county concept plans, but with added findings for additional traffic signals.

The draft traffic analysis report for the Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway is available for download in the file links below.

Update - Council adopts Concept Plan on Dec. 1, 2015: City Council opened a public hearing on Nov. 3 and took comments on the draft Concept Plan from almost two dozen community members. The hearing was continued on December 1, where additional testimony was taken before Council discussed the Concept Plan further and ultimately approved a resolution that adopted it. The resolution provides direction for next steps toward implementing the framework vision, including the pursuit of funding opportunities to further design and build the highest priority elements in the plan. Council also directed staff to hold a public work session in the first half of 2016 to focus on developing a comprehensive list of additional information and data that will be needed to model and better understand the potential impacts of the proposed traffic diverters. Additional information will be posted to the project website as it becomes available.

The adopted version (prepared in June 2015) of the Concept Plan builds upon the preliminary Neighborhood Greenway designs that were previously drafted by the consultant team. The earlier drafts are available for viewing on the Draft Concept Design page.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

As an important east-west route across Milwaukie, Monroe Street connects several Neighborhoods and Downtown Milwaukie, and has been identified in the city’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) as a "Neighborhood Greenway."

Neighborhood Greenways are low-volume, low-speed routes that provide safe, quiet routes for motorists, pedestrians, and bicycles. Neighborhood Greenways often include improvements that reduce vehicle speeds (for example, with curb extensions or mini traffic circles), which makes them safer and more inviting for neighbors, walkers, and bikers, while also reducing cut-through traffic from outside the neighborhood.

Concept Plan

The city secured a State grant to create a Concept Plan that defines Neighborhood Greenway improvements along Monroe Street  from 21st Avenue to Linwood Avenue (Milwaukie's eastern boundary). The project team has engaged residents -- especially those who live on or near Monroe Street -- and other interested parties to assess current challenges and needs, evaluate best practices that aim to address those needs, and develop design options for the community to consider. Monroe Street has distinct characteristics in different segments of the study area, and the Concept Plan will be tailored to address the different conditions.

A video of the project's segments, narrated by Project Manager Brett Kelver, can be viewed here: http://cityofmilwaukie.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=833

For a video tour of the segments, produced by Andy Schmidt, Matt Menely, and Greg Baartz-Bowman of Bike Milwaukie, visit http://cityofmilwaukie.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=855.

The Needs and Opportunities Memo identifies existing conditions on Monroe Street, including recommended improvements to make the street an effective neighborhood greenway. A collection of Public Comments on an earlier draft of the memo, including input from the Project Advisory Committee (PAC), is also available.

PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

A Project Advisory Committee (PAC) was formed at the project's outset to help guide the plan. The PAC included representatives from the City's Neighborhood Associations, local bike advocates, the City's Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), and technical advisors who met throughout the project to review and discuss drafts of the Concept Plan. Click here for more information about the PAC, including the City Council's charge to the PAC and the PAC roster.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We welcome your participation and perspective to help shape the future of a safer Monroe Street. Even if you do not live near or use Monroe Street yourself, what we learn as a community through this project can be applied in the future to some of the other designated Neighborhood Greenway routes in Milwaukie.

Public Workshops

Four public workshops have been held to present information to the larger community and get input and perspective from residents and others who use Monroe Street. This includes a workshop specifically focused on the Washington Street bikeway element of the concept, held on July 27, 2015. Please visit the Public Workshops page for more information.

Click here for a list of Additional Resources and materials.

If you are interested in the project or have concerns to share, please contact the project manager Brett Kelver who can put you in touch with the appropriate PAC member to communicate your concerns. 

STAFF CONTACT

Brett Kelver, Project Manager
503.786.7657
kelverb@milwaukieoregon.gov