News Release: Southern segment of the SW Fourth Avenue Improvement Project now open

Press Release

New protected bike lane open between SW Caruthers Street and SW Taylor Street; new Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane open between SW Sheridan Street and SW Mill Street; on-street parking has also been restored between SW Lincoln Street and SW Jefferson Street

PBOT Construction Manager and Inspector look on as new bus and bike signal heads are activated at the intersection of SW Fourth Avenue and SW Hall Street. Photo by PBOT.

(Oct. 31, 2025) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has substantially completed work on the southern segment of the SW Fourth Avenue Improvement Project, with new bike and bus lanes opening this week. These improvements add to the new pavement, upgraded underground utilities, new streetlights, new traffic signals, and additional accessible pedestrian crossings delivered earlier this year on the corridor.

Map shows active construction area on SW Fourth Avenue, alongside newly opened bus and bike facilities. Map by PBOT.

What's Open Now

A new protected bike lane is now open between SW Caruthers Street and SW Taylor Street. People biking north on SW Barbur Boulevard can now use the new protected bike lane that begins just south of I-405 to bike into the heart of downtown. People biking northbound will use a new bike signal at the intersection of SW Fourth Avenue and SW Caruthers Street to transition from the right side of the street into the left-side protected bike lane that will ultimately connect all the way to West Burnside Street and into Old Town.

Paired with the southbound protected bike lane on SW Broadway, the SW Fourth Avenue Improvement project creates a downtown cycling couplet prioritized in the Central City in Motion plan. The left-side placement reduces conflicts with right-turning vehicles, which are more frequent on SW Fourth Avenue as people use the corridor to access the Willamette River bridges.

New bicycle signal at the intersection of SW Fourth Avenue and SW Caruthers Street allows cyclists to transition from the right side bike lane from SW Barbur to the left-side protected bike lane on SW Fourth Avenue to the north. Photo by PBOT.

SW Fourth Avenue's new bus and turn lane between SW Grant and SW Mill streets is also open. People driving northbound on SW Fourth Avenue wishing to turn left in this segment should do so from the new Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane. Please follow the new traffic signals and signs, several of which were newly activated this week. On-street parking previously restricted due to construction has also been restored along both sides of the corridor between SW Lincoln and SW Jefferson streets.

New Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane open on SW Fourth Avenue looking north toward SW Hall. Photo by PBOT.

TriMet riders will benefit from the new Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane starting this Friday, Oct. 31. The Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane supports the long term durability of the new pavement on SW Fourth Avenue by consolidating heavy buses into a reinforced concrete lane, reducing the likelihood of rutting and cracking over time. The dedicated lane also will increase the speed and reliability of bus service for transit riders.

The new lane serves TriMet's Line 9, 12, 17, 19, 44, 291, and FX2. TriMet lines 12 and 44 will utilize a new transit island stop constructed as part of the project just north of SW Hall Street. Riders can check trimet.orgfor updates. The new stop eliminates the need for bus operators to transition from the right side of the roadway to the left, increasing speed and reliability for transit riders and keeping buses out of the way of northbound vehicular traffic.

New transit stop on SW Fourth Avenue north of SW Hall Street. Lines 12 and 44 will begin serving this stop on Friday, Oct. 31. Photo by PBOT.

Looking Ahead

In the weeks ahead, PBOT will continue to open the new bike lane to the north as construction allows.

Major construction on SW Fourth Avenue is now mostly complete. ADA-compliant curb ramps, underground utility upgrades and paving are now complete corridor-wide. Some key work remains on the northern segment of the corridor, including permanent striping between SW Alder Street and West Burnside Street. Permanent striping and signal adjustments are also outstanding at the intersection of SW Fourth Avenue and West Burnside Street. PBOT hopes to be able to wrap up this work before the end of the year, but the work, particularly the striping, requires dry weather windows.

If the weather does not cooperate, temporary striping will be used and the crews will return in the spring to install the permanent striping. Contractors working for PBOT will also be addressing punch list items up and down the corridor between now and the end of the year.

On Monday, crews are scheduled to remove old striping on West Burnside between SW Fifth Avenue and SW Third Avenue, facilitating the activation of the new left turn signal serving folks seeking to turn north into Old Town from West Burnside eastbound.

New stormwater facility with freshly planted street tree on SW Fourth Avenue, with PSU's Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center in the background. Photo by PBOT.

PBOT will continue to provide periodic updates throughout construction on the project website. Sign up hereto receive construction updates by email.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience while we complete this work.