Monroe Street is a neighborhood street that connects downtown Milwaukie with northwest Clackamas County and the Clackamas Town Center. The street is an important link for all types of users – pedestrians, bicycle riders, and motorists. Monroe provides a connection between the Orange light rail line in downtown Milwaukie and Oak Grove, and the MAX Green line at Clackamas Town Center.

The Clackamas County Active Transportation Plan identifies Monroe Street as a key route to connect communities and destinations in the County – and adding bikeways, pedestrian facilities, and traffic calming to Monroe is a high priority project in the 2014 Transportation System Plan (TSP).  The City of Milwaukie is working on a plan to create a “neighborhood greenway” on Monroe in the city between downtown and the county border at Linwood. To build on these actions – and in response to community surveys and input – the Monroe Neighborhood Street Design Plan is intended to make Monroe safer for area residents and travelers.

The goal of the project is to create a neighborhood street that improves safety for all modes of travel (walking, bicycling, and driving), with a special emphasis on pedestrians and cyclists. This supports the County’s goal of creating a healthy, active community. The project will pay particular attention to the needs and wishes of local residents, as well as preserving needed vehicle access.

As part of this project, Clackamas County will also work with community and school leaders to create a Safe Routes to School Plan for Whitcomb Elementary School, which is located in the heart of the study area.

A key component of the project will be engaging residents — especially those who live on or near Monroe Street — as well as other interested parties to assess current challenges, opportunities, and needs. Monroe has distinct characteristics in different parts of the study area, and the concept plan will be tailored to address these unique conditions. Residents and the community-at-large are invited to give input at two public workshops on how best to address  challenges, opportunities, and the preferred design options for the street. In addition, a 12-15 member Public Advisory Committee (PAC) comprised of area residents and people representing stakeholder interests will meet at least four times to review materials and provide input and advice.