TriMet has announced that the Eastbank Esplanade bicycling and walking path just south of OMSI to SE Caruthers Street will be closed for 14 months. The closure is due to construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail bridge. Here's more from TriMet:

Two contractors, Kiewit and Stacy Witbeck, will be working in the closure area to move and rebuild a portion of the Eastside Greenway Trail, build walls and construct the landside piers and abutment for the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail transit bridge.

During the trail closure, pedestrians and cyclists will be detoured to SE Water Avenue which has new sidewalks and bike lanes and connects directly to SE 4th Avenue and the Springwater Corridor Trail.
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Two construction projects in the region have direct impacts to bike traffic. Learn more below...

Construction work on an ODOT project on Airport Way near the I-205 path is causing intermittent, short-term closures of the path between Marine Drive and Airport Way. The closures started last week (3/4) and will last through mid-June. Here's more from ODOT Region 1 Transit and Active Transportation Liaison Jessica Horning:
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A frosty Broadway Bridge on January 11th.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Looks like the weather is set to go from bad to worse. The near freezing (and below it at times) cold we've been experiencing has tested our resolve for weeks. Tomorrow, weather watchers are forecasting freezing rain. The Bureau of Transportation is nervous about how icy conditions will impact roads. And they should be. Earlier this month, when the morning commute was marked by extremely icy conditions, we heard of dozens of people who slipped and crashed while riding into work. Here's more from PBOT about what might be in store:

The National Weather Service in Portland has issued a freezing rain advisory for light icing in effect from 4 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, January 23. The public is advised to be alert for limited visibility, freezing temperatures and ice accumulations on roadways, bridges, overpasses and sidewalks Wednesday morning.

According to the National Weather Service, the “main threat of freezing rain will be between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., with the threat of freezing rain lasting until noon in areas closer to the Columbia River.”

The traveling public is advised to be prepared for localized icy conditions and make a plan now for their Wednesday morning commute. People should avoid driving on icy streets, take transit if possible or delay their trip until conditions improve. Motorists should be ready to use chains if conditions are icy in the morning, slow down, use headlights and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

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Sellwood Bridge
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

If riding across the Sellwood Bridge is part of your daily routine, you need to make other plans. The 1,100 foot long bridge is set to close from this Thursday January 17th - 24th while construction crews move it — yes, move it — to the north to make room for the new bridge. The old bridge will become the detour around ongoing construction.

Instead of building a new bridge to use until the new one is done in summer 2015, Multnomah County decided on the "Big Move" because it will save time (about one year) and money ($5-10 million), and it will have fewer environmental impacts. (more...)

Attention all roadies who love Old Cornelius Pass Road... Starting today a section of the road north of NW Phillips will be closed to all vehicles (including bikes) until September 21st. Washington County is replacing the bridge over Rock Creek. Tell your friends and check the detour map...

Photo taken today shows path damage has worsened in past weeks.
(Photo: Chad Berkley)

Erosion of the soil beneath a 55-foot section of the Springwater multi-use path on the Willamette River just south of downtown Portland has worsened due to weekend rains and now the Portland Parks & Recreation Bureau says closure is a "possibility."

Last week we shared that the path had been damaged by erosion and Parks had placed cones advising people to steer (and walk) clear of the edge. Apparently the plentiful weekend rains have taken a toll. This morning we received tips from two readers that the damage had worsened.

Brent L. rode past the area highlighted in our post (which is about one mile south of SE Ivon where the path begins) and says he noticed, "substantially more of the bank had fallen into the river." (more...)

Erosion of the Willamette riverbank has caused damage
to the Springwater path just south of downtown.
(Photo: Chad Berkley)

A downed tree on the banks of the east side of the Willamette River about one mile south OMSI on the Springwater Corridor Trail has damaged the popular multi-use path.

Portland Parks & Recreation spokesman Mark Ross says the "trail failure" was caused by a cottonweed tree that fell earlier this month which led to the soil near the path becoming unstable.

"Trail users are asked to slow down in this area, yield to the slowest traffic, and be considerate of other trail users," says Ross.

The trail and the safety precautions are set to stay in place until the riverbank is stabilized and the trail is repaired. Parks is working with the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) to figure out how to redesign the bank to make it more stable. A geotech engineer with BES has determined that the existing path is stable and Parks staff are monitoring the path daily for any signs of further erosion. (more...)

A portion of the popular Marine Drive bike path near the Portland airport is closed for a construction project. According to the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Multnomah County is working on a Columbia River levee maintenance project and the path is closed about 2.5 miles east of NE 33rd Drive and about 700 feet west of I-205.

Here's more from PBOT:

"Bicyclists should also be aware that this work has created some restraints on the shoulder of Marine Drive from NE 42nd Avenue to NE 172nd Avenue where the Drainage District has installed jersey barriers to discourage parking.

We recommend bicyclists exercise extreme caution."

PBOT adds that a “bike turnaround” area is signed 3,350 feet west of I-205. According to The Oregonian, a representative from the Multnomah County Drainage District says the path could be re-opened as early as tomorrow.