Floating portion of Esplanade closure extended
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on June 16th, 2011 at 10:38 am
This just in from Portland Parks & Recreation (see our story from Tuesday for background):
Eastside Floating Walkway to Remain Closed at Least Over the Weekend
(Portland, OR) –
A team of PP&R operations supervisors and engineers on-site this morning has determined that the floating walkway along the Vera Katz Eastside Esplanade from north of the Morrison Bridge to South of the Steel bridge shall remain closed to all traffic (bike, foot, boats) at least until Monday. The area affected is approximately 1000-to-1500 feet of floating territory that the rising water has made impassable.
The closure was initiated on May 31st due to high and fast water conditions on the Willamette. 2010 Parks & Recreation data show that 2,750 bike trips are made daily on the Eastside Esplanade, plus countless numbers of walkers and joggers. Portland Parks & Recreation’s primary concern is for the safety of everyone using the area, and will keep the floating platform closed until the water subsides. High water may be exacerbated by the recent rains, and hot weather could accelerate snowmelt, further prolonging high water conditions. Survey teams will evaluate conditions once again on Monday morning and determine a further course of action.
PP&R engineers and survey teams are using on-site inspections as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data and predictions to determine when the river will lower to a safe condition. As of the morning of June 16, 2011, the Willamette had risen due to recent rains. Engineering teams have determined that the water level must be below 16 feet for the transitions from the fixed concrete sidewalk to the floating wooden platform to be at acceptable angles for users’ safety.
Signs mark the closure ahead along the Esplanade path well ahead of the closure. Walkers, runners and cyclists may cross over to the west side of the river via the Hawthorne Bridge, the Steel Bridge, and the Burnside Bridge, and there’s a trough on the side of the stairs for bike tires to be guided up the Burnside Bridge as riders carry their bikes.
Once on a bridge, walkers, runners and cyclists will find they can either travel into southeast Portland, or they may cross the river to the west side waterfront trail and beyond. PP&R has no jurisdiction over bridges or city streets, therefore our teams cannot put any detour signage in place. We encourage all park users to stay alert and aware, and to exercise caution.
The Esplanade was built in 2001. This has been, and continues to be, the first time in the walkway’s history that rising water has forced such a closure. Terri Davis, PP&R’s West Services Zone manager, says water has not been at this high a level since the floods of 1996. More info on the Esplanade is below.
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Possibly related posts - Esplanade closure update: 16-feet is the magic number - Updated
- Security concerns prompt US Navy to close portion of Waterfront Park path
- Advisory: Use caution around Esplanade work zones in November
- Portland Parks: Esplanade re-opens at noon today
- High water on Willamette creates safety hazard on Esplanade - Updated
They're going to evaluate condtions on Monday and, according to KOIN.com, temps are supposed to hit 80 on Tuesday. D'oh!
RecommendedCould they make a new, longer transition panel that fixes the angle?
Recommendedcertainly.
RecommendedI asked Mark Ross from Parks that same question... Here's his response:
RecommendedHopefully someone in P&R will take the closure as an opportunity to add a couple more of those nifty new transition ramps to the large ramps; they sure make the ride a lot smoother. : )
RecommendedIn Portland? That would require a pre-preliminary study, a preliminary study, a study, a pre-construction evaluation, construction, an evaluation of the construction, a post-evaluation study, and a followup study. Not to mention the actual construction involved. Total closure: 5.2 years. Total cost: $57.3 billion.
Recommended"impassable" I don't know about that.....
RecommendedLook like I will need a new route to WNBR.
RecommendedI'm still disappointed that they can't just put up a barrier that requires dismounting and leave it open. As long as there isn't a gap I believe it should still be open to the public.
[and even in saying that, I'm compromising in favor of some nanny-stateism. Ideally I'd rather there just be a some cones and a warning sign. Some of us might actually have the skillz to ride that ramp anyway ;) ]
RecommendedIf BikePortland hadn't made it an issue, the floating bridge might still be open....
Recommendedthere's probably some truth to that... but I'm not sure I "made it an issue" as much as I documented what was happening.
RecommendedYou probably saved a few people from some bad wrecks too......
RecommendedI agree! I saw one and reported it to Jonathan. I am very happy he was able to get it noticed so quickly.
RecommendedNot sure if you've been out there to see for yourself... but it floats! When wakes come through there is a gap that forms between the dock and the ramps (I filmed this in action in an earlier post).. It would be a legal nightmare for Parks to have it open to the public in that condition.
RecommendedAn idea even cheaper than a longer transition panel that fixes the angle?
Put a legal aide from the city at both ends of the Esplanade that makes all determined users sign a legal waiver of their rights to sue the city if they get injured or killed on the floating Esplanade segment during this temporary closure.
People get to use the path under advisement and taxpayers avoid lawsuit payouts to the stupid.
Recommendedis it so hard to ride to the other side of the river for a mile or so? life's not perfect. we're all capable of adapting. its temporary. move along.
Recommended+1
A transition panel that works both for the current situation and is ADA compliant would have to be at least 12' long which is neither practical nor cheap.
RecommendedNot to mention, what happens when the river gets to be drought low, which is a far more common occurrance...then it would close because that longer ramp is sticking up in the air.
RecommendedNo kidding. I still can't believe people are whining for expensive engineering solutions or more signs.
RecommendedBike Portland certainly did the right thing by informing us all about the Esplanade situation early on and since. And, without Bike Portland, we might never know about hazards and closures that affect us daily. Again, thanks so much Jonathan et al. PP&Rec probably did the right thing by closing the Esplanade and the detours aren't so onerous for anyone who knows where to go. What I can't accept is that the suits at PP&Rec still think they either are unable or shouldn't be responsible for working w/ other city bureaus to give people who don't already know some options for how to proceed. If there are now , at last, signs "well ahead of the closure," that would be a big improvement and thanks for that. But for people who don't often take that route, perhaps from out of town, some notice about options for how to get around the Esplanade would be very helpful and should actually be expected, as--we must keep repeating--they would be if auto traffic were involved, instead of more than 2,000 bike riders each day. There should be no impermeable force field between PP&REC and PBOT and even the county to keep them from serving the public together, as we pay them to do.
RecommendedDuring the Rose Parade festivities, the "alternative route" on the westside was truly "impassable" (compared to what would have been an easy dismount/remount on the eastside) due to the crowds/closed off section/etc., so this was more of a hardship than just riding on the other side of the river, as some have said.
I had to ride through heavy traffic on the arterials on the eastside instead of a safe and enjoyable ride on the esplanade. I felt okay doing this, but it's definitely not something I would have done if it had been any season but dry, sunny, warm summer.
Now, it's just a nuisance, as everyone's packed into the eastside, so it's a lot slower.
RecommendedSE 6th Ave. is a fairly pleasant alternative to get to some destinations. There's low traffic and no door-zone bike lanes or wheel-grabbing rail tracks.
Recommended