A $1.1 million pedestrian beacon went live on West Burnside Street on Wednesday, Aug. 19, giving pedestrians their first signal-controlled crossing on a 1,000-foot stretch between 21st and 23rd avenues. Two days later, crews began repaving the same corridor, a move critics say could erase the safety gains by inviting faster driving.

The new hybrid beacon at SW St. Clair Avenue stays dark until a pedestrian pushes a button, then flashes a red stop signal to drivers. The Federal Highway Administration has found the design can reduce pedestrian-involved crashes by up to 69%.

Along with the signal, the Portland Bureau of Transportation rebuilt curb ramps to current accessibility standards, added a curb extension to shorten the crossing distance, installed enhanced streetlighting and restricted left turns from SW St. Clair onto Burnside to protect people in the crosswalk. The crossing connects to a high-ridership TriMet stop serving lines 15, 18 and 20, linking the NW District to Goose Hollow.

The project was funded through Oregon Department of Transportation safety grants, the NW Parking District and Portland's Vision Zero cannabis tax revenue, a 3% local tax on recreational marijuana sales approved by voters in 2016.

West Burnside sits within Portland's High Crash Network. Those 30 corridors and 30 intersections make up 8% of the city's street mileage but accounted for 67% of traffic deaths between 2020 and 2024.

PBOT began updating curb ramps between 15th and 20th avenues on Friday, Aug. 21, with full paving crews expected back this fall. A second phase, covering 22nd Avenue to 24th Place, is planned for 2027.

The Better Burnside Coalition, backed by four neighborhood associations including the Goose Hollow Foothills League and Northwest District Association, the Portland Pedestrian Advisory Committee and Portland State University urban planning students, wants the city to pause repaving and conduct a comprehensive street redesign first. Their vision includes wider sidewalks, a food truck and parklet lane, a shared bike/bus lane and only one vehicle lane in each direction east of Interstate 405.

Citywide context

Portland's traffic fatalities fell to 39 in 2025, down from a record 69 in 2023. Pedestrians still accounted for 51% of those deaths.

Phase I repaving is expected to wrap by mid-October. No public meeting date for a broader Burnside redesign has been announced.