Police issue 316 citations near TriMet rail construction project

From July 15 to Aug. 5, the Portland (Ore.) Police Bureau police issued 316 citations near the closure of SE 8th, 11th and 12th Avenues during construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project. Police also issued 102 warnings, made four arrests for driving under the influence of intoxicants and made two other arrests.

The Police Bureau started targeted enforcement on Monday near the closure of SE Division Street, which will have 24-hour a day closures through Aug. 31.

Police are on the lookout for motorists who are distracted, impaired or aggressive, said Sgt. Robert Voepel of the Portland Police Bureau. Police advise motorists and pedestrians to make eye contact with other travelers.

The police enforcement is part of a collaboration among multiple city bureaus and public agencies to minimize the impact of several large-scale construction projects this summer in Southeast Portland.

TriMet, the Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Bureau of Transportation are working on projects to expand public transit access, update the streetscape design on SE Division Street and improve sewer service. To minimize the inconvenience to the public, the agencies have coordinated their construction schedules to try to ensure that major road closures on north-south corridors don’t overlap.