Crosswalks around the Portland metro area will close this year over safety concerns.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said it plans to close 181 crosswalks they’ve deemed “unmarked, unsafe, and inaccessible.” Signs stating “crosswalk closed” will be set up at the locations in batches within the coming months and most will remain in place, though a few crosswalks may reopen in the future. That will depend upon whether the state decides to rebuild them, adding new signals and improving accessibility.
Every intersection is, by law, a crosswalk in Oregon — even if it’s unmarked. But once a crosswalk is closed by the state, responsibility for right-of-way shifts: a pedestrian could face a citation if they cross an intersection marked “closed,” or drivers may not be held liable in a crash.
ODOT said people can, in most cases, find safe, accessible crosswalks within 300 ft of those that will be closed.