22nd Avenue & River Road

The City of Milwaukie’s SAFE (Safe Access for Everyone) program is a long-term initiative to expand sidewalks, ADA ramps, and multiuse connections across the city. Within the Island Station neighborhood, AKS supported implementation of key multimodal improvements that enhance safety, mobility, and access to transit, parks, and the regional trail network while strengthening connections to Downtown Milwaukie.

The Island Station area lacked continuous, safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, with gaps in sidewalks, constrained roadway space, and unsafe connections to key destinations, including the MAX Orange Line, the Trolley Trail, and nearby neighborhood routes. In addition, existing utility and roadway conditions, including water pressure deficiencies and aging infrastructure, needed to be addressed without disrupting service or expanding the roadway’s footprint.

AKS redesigned the corridor within the existing roadway footprint by narrowing vehicle lanes to create space for sidewalks, bike lanes, and ADA-compliant crossings. The project also included intersection reconfiguration, new pedestrian refuge islands, upgraded striping, and improved trail connections to the Trolley Trail and its surrounding network. Additionally, the team implemented water system improvements, including pressure zone reconfiguration and PRV relocation, using staged construction and valve isolation to minimize service disruptions.

The completed improvements provide safe and accessible pedestrian and bicycle routes. This reassignment of the roadway prism aligns with the City’s emphasis on active transportation, shifting towards allocating the right-of-way equally among motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists rather than the traditional motor-vehicle-centric focus.