After over a year of construction on the north end of Main Street in downtown Tigard, the construction of Main Street Green Street Phase 2 is completed and Downtown Tigard is open. The northern section of Main Street is more walkable, accessible and safer for bikes, pedestrians and cars. It is designed as part of Tigard’s Complete Streets Policy. A Complete Street provides required elements to serve multiple types of travel. Main Street businesses and restaurants are easy to access. The newly improved Main Street includes an increase in on-street parking, and wider sidewalks and American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk crossings for pedestrians. New, improved bus stops provide greater visibility, shelters and dedicated loading zones so that traffic can keep moving along Main Street.
Business owners and the City are equally enthusiastic that the construction project is over. “I am excited about the changes to Main Street and look forward to more people coming back downtown” said the owner of Main Street Cleaners. Andy Newbury, the City’s project manager said “the completion of phase 2 of Main Street Green Street brings to life a vision created in the early 2000s for a vibrant, central downtown hub. These improvements, along with great restaurants and businesses and new additions like Universal Plaza, provide a more people-centric downtown Tigard. I encourage everyone to come and explore Main Street.”
A key element of the newly redesigned Main Street is the “Green Street” element. Green streets include landscaping between the sidewalk and street that use plants and soil to filter and clean stormwater. Prior to the addition of these landscaped planters, the stormwater running off the streets and sidewalks into Fanno Creek was not treated. With the new landscaping feature, the stormwater runoff will filter into the planter strip to be cleaned before it enters Fanno Creek. Newbury said “the addition of stormwater planters to the Main Street landscaping provides a necessary function to protect Fanno Creek’s water quality with the added benefit of adding green space to an urban environment.”
If you have not visited Downtown Tigard recently, come down to Main Street to explore the different businesses, trails, plazas, and the new look of Main Street.
