A Line in Trump’s Bill Derails Project to Restore Portland’s Lower Albina Corridor

PORTLAND, Ore. — A planned makeover of over 20 blocks of Portland’s Broadway and Weidler streets was stymied by a minor provision in President Donald Trump’s policy bill rescinding “unobligated balances” of a federal initiative known as the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant program.

A street makeover along North Broadway and Northeast Broadway and Weidler streets included new sidewalks and street lighting, improved pedestrian crossings, protected bike lanes, and additional tree canopy.

$38 million was budgeted for the redesign between Northeast Seventh Avenue and the Broadway Bridge by the city’s Transportation Bureau from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant program.

Located in the Lower Albina neighborhood- once the center of Portland’s Black community, the section was divided by Interstate 5 in the 1950s and 1960s, displacing many of its residents. The project is now on pause.