Monroe Street in Milwaukie serves as a vital east-west thoroughfare, seamlessly connecting various neighborhoods and Downtown Milwaukie. Recognized in the city’s Transportation System Plan (TSP), Monroe Street is designated as a Neighborhood Greenway, aimed at enhancing the safety and appeal for all road users.
Neighborhood Greenways prioritize creating low-traffic, low-speed environments that cater to motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists alike. These routes often incorporate traffic calming measures, such as curb extensions and mini traffic circles, to reduce vehicle speeds. This results in safer, more inviting streets for residents, walkers, and bikers, while also discouraging unnecessary through traffic.
In June 2015, the city developed a Concept Plan for Monroe Street, spanning from 21st Avenue to Linwood Avenue, Milwaukie’s eastern border. This initiative, supported by a State grant, focused on defining Neighborhood Greenway enhancements. The project team actively engaged with residents, particularly those living on or near Monroe Street, and other stakeholders. This collaborative approach aimed to identify existing challenges and needs, assess effective solutions, and formulate design options for community consideration. Recognizing the diverse characteristics of Monroe Street across different segments, the Concept Plan is tailored to address these unique conditions.
The Needs and Opportunities Memo provides a detailed analysis of the current state of Monroe Street, outlining recommended improvements to establish it as a functional neighborhood greenway. Public feedback on an earlier version of this memo, including insights from the Project Advisory Committee (PAC), is available in the Public Comments document.
The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) played a crucial role from the project’s inception, guiding the plan’s development. Comprising representatives from City Neighborhood Associations, local cycling advocates, the City’s Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), and technical experts, the PAC convened regularly to review and discuss drafts of the Concept Plan. Further details about the PAC, including its mandate and member list, can be found here.
To ensure broad community input, four Public Workshops were conducted. These workshops served as platforms to present project information and gather perspectives from residents and Monroe Street users. Notably, a dedicated workshop on July 27, 2015, specifically addressed the Washington Street bikeway aspect of the concept. More information is available on the Public Workshops page.
For additional resources and materials related to the project, please click here.
The Concept Plan was officially adopted on December 1, 2015. Following a public hearing that commenced on November 3, 2015, the City Council reviewed community feedback on the draft Concept Plan. After further deliberation on December 1, 2015, the Council approved a resolution adopting the plan. This resolution set the direction for subsequent implementation steps, including seeking funding opportunities to further develop and construct priority elements of the plan. The Council also instructed staff to organize a public work session in the first half of 2016 to compile necessary data for modeling and understanding the potential impacts of proposed traffic diverters.
The adopted Concept Plan, originally prepared in June 2015, builds upon preliminary Neighborhood Greenway designs developed by the consultant team. Earlier drafts are accessible for review on the Draft Concept Design page.
Modifications to the Greenway Route were made following a traffic analysis by DKS in March 2018. This analysis focused on strategies to reduce daily vehicle traffic on Monroe Street and assess elements for effective neighborhood greenway functionality and active transportation connectivity. The traffic analysis generally validated the recommendations from city and county concept plans but suggested additional traffic signal installations. The complete traffic analysis report for the Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway is available via the links below.
In June 2018, City Council resolution 36-2018 officially modified the Monroe Greenway to incorporate the Washington Street Alignment.
Stay informed and engaged with the Monroe Street Greenway project by visiting Engage Milwaukie for project updates and online interaction.
For the most current details about the project, please visit the Engineering Department’s project page: Monroe Street Neighborhood Greenway. For questions, FAQs, and online engagement, visit Engage Milwaukie.
