Pleae Be Aware that SR213 Clackamas Rvr Bridge is Closed

[markallyn]

Folks:

I found out the hard way that the State Route 213 / Clackamas River foot/bicycle bridge is closed.

I found this out the hard way. There were no warnings.

I ended up having to take I205 (where there is a 'No NonMotorized Vehicles'
sign) one stop to get to SE 82nd Way.

Can someone put this on as an alert on the main page here to prevent others
from falling into the same trap as I did?

Thanks

Truly,

Cleara

[bikieboy]

Any clues as to why, or for how long, it's closed? It's not like there's a lot of nearby options for crossing the Clackamas River, & I-25 doesn't sound too swell...

Anyone know what agency that maintains this bridge?

[Matt P.]

Originally Posted by bikieboy

Any clues as to why, or for how long, it's closed? It's not like there's a lot of nearby options for crossing the Clackamas River, & I-25 doesn't sound too swell...

Anyone know what agency that maintains this bridge?

It's closed indefinitely. There was a fire last fall on the underside of the bridge where the sewer line runs - that fire weakened the bridge structure. Until the bridge is repaired, the City of Gladstone has closed the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists and erected fencing on either end of the bridge. The bridge is an old railroad right-of-way that IIRC was given or sold to the City of Gladstone. Gladstone has hired a contractor to repair the bridge, but subsequently got into an argument with the contractor over cost. Construction will not start until the parties resolve the issue, so the bridge remains closed. Given how late it is in the year, it's very unlikely that the bridge will be repaired before early next summer.

The only valid alternate routes are the bridge at McLoughlin (1/2 mile west of Hwy 213) and the bridge at Carver (about 2-3 miles east). There are 2 other bridges over the Clackamas nearby, but they are not available to bikes - one is I-205, the other is the Union Pacific Railroad mainline bridge. The railroad bridge looks tempting - DO NOT CROSS THERE! It is a very active line with 20+ trains per day, and trains CANNOT stop before hitting you - it takes approximately 2500'-12,000' for a train to stop, depending on its length and load. Likewise, I don't recommend I-205: the shoulder narrows at the Clackamas River bridge and it carries a high volume of traffic at 55-65 mph.

I've posted a number of times on this forum in different threads about this closure, but there is no central area to post road/bridge/path closures.

[fetishridr]

thats not that far out of the way. justgo down 1st i think to 99. i used to ride that 213 bridge often, but i've found that riding through milwaukie/gladstone along the north side of the river is nicer than that dopey root strewn bike path on the south side.

northbound, just ride west by the dump or on abernathy to OC, then turn and head to the bike path. that road will lead to 99 in a low traffic fashion.

[endform]

You can also just jump the fence, it's a lot easier with a partner though to hand the bikes over.

[markallyn]

Can we consider adding a section of this website specifically for closures such as this one?

[Jonathan Maus]

Originally Posted by markallyn

Can we consider adding a section of this website specifically for closures such as this one?

probably not. I just don't see it happening often enough to warrant it's own forum topic section. but I could be wrong and am open to feedback...

[markallyn]

It may not happen often that a bridge is closed, however, if a bridge stays closed, it would be nice to be aware of it prior to making my trip so that I could plan accordingly.

A section like that would not have much 'activity', but then a closed bridge stays closed. It shows no activity, but if it stays closed, people need to be aware of it.

I sure could have appreciated a warning on the case of the SR213/Clackamas River Bridge prior to my trip so that I could have diverted to Oregon City before decending that long hill only to find the bridge closed.

Thanks

Mark Allyn

[Jakelin]

I was looking this up last month and the latest news was that the bridge is to be closed until at least next spring. Apparently the insurance company that covers the bridge is dragging their feet on the payment to fix it. It really sucks because for those of us in OC it is a great way to head to the 205 path. As others have pointed out, there are ways around it that aren't too out of the way.

[bikerinNE]

Originally Posted by markallyn

Can we consider adding a section of this website specifically for closures such as this one?

But wouldn't this section called "Route Info" be a place where closures do fit well? Just MHO...