1) Overlook Neighborhood Association general meeting
2) I-5 South closed this weekend
3) I-5 tolling plans
4) Noise variance for construction project at Alberta and Interstate
1) Overlook Neighborhood Association general meeting
Join your neighbors on Tuesday, July 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kaiser Town Hall for the monthly OKNA general meeting. Topping the agenda is selection of a new neighborhood logo. The old tree logo is overdue for an update, and we have some excellent contenders submitted by residents. Help select Overlook’s logo for the coming years.
Also on the agenda, we’ll hear about a proposed new voting system for Portland and an update about the Greeley garden.
2) I-5 South closed this weekend
Southbound I-5 will be closed this weekend and next from the Fremont Bridge to I-84. The closure begins at 10 p.m. Friday and continues until 5 a.m. Monday. Through traffic should take the Fremont Bridge to I-405 and reconnect with I-5 to the south of the city.
As part of the closure, the N Going Street onramp to I-5 southbound will be closed. Vehicles trying to use that ramp will be detoured north on I-5 to the N Rosa Parks Way exit, then back onto southbound I-5.
There could be long delays at traffic signals along the detour routes, and I-5 will likely be severely congested at times as it narrows to two lanes approaching the Fremont Bridge. Drivers may want to continue north on I-5 to Lombard where they can get on the interstate using the un-signaled cloverleaf.
The N Greeley Avenue onramp to I-5 southbound also will be closed. Expect delays on Greeley and N Interstate Avenue in the areas a result.
Adding to the traffic volume in North Portland, the Mississippi Street Fair is happening on Saturday. While the heat and the freeway construction might keep the crowds down, using N Skidmore Street to head east across I-5 will not be easy. N Alberta Street to the north and N Russell Street to the south might be better options to cross I-5.
Be extra careful and patient in Overlook the next two weekends.
3) I-5 tolling plans
The Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Transportation Commission are continuing to refine plans for tolling on I-5 and I-205. The current recommendation is to toll I-5 from Going/Alberta at the north to south of downtown. Those wishing to avoid paying the toll coming from the north could divert into North Portland and Overlook particularly.
OKNA board chair Chris Trejbal testified at the Transportation Commission public hearing last week. The full hearing is available on youtube. Watch Trejbal’s testimony below.
4) Noise variance for construction project at Alberta and Interstate
The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (soon to be officially renamed) heard loud and clear from Overlook residents that expanded work hours for a development project at Interstate and Alberta was not an acceptable option. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts with city officials on this proposal.
Rather than expanding work hours to 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., the project received a limited variance for one day in August when they will have a large concrete pour that’s going to take about 12 hours. As they firm up the date, the neighborhood will receive a heads up, and we’ll share through the neighborhood update. The developer has also asked for two monthly early truck deliveries from August to November, which will probably be granted as a reasonable accommodation.