Oregon City/West Linn bridge set for two-year closure

The Oregon City Bridge
(Photo: Wikipedia)

The historic arch bridge that connects Oregon City to West Linn will close for two years starting this November.

The Oregon City Bridge opened in 1922 and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) says it is in dire need of maintenance and rehabilitation work. The result of this major project is that the bridge will be completely closed to all traffic (that includes motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians) for the duration of the work.

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This is bad news for many local bike riders for whom the bridge is an important connection — not just for everyday transportation but as a key way to access popular recreational rides.

“Two years is a long time to ask people to totally re-adjust their transit routes, especially in light of limited viable options nearby.”
— Otis Rubottom, SE Portland resident and regular bridge rider

The closest, bike accessible crossings are the Sellwood Bridge eight miles north or the Canby Ferry, which is about nine miles south. (Bikes are prohibited on the I-205 bridge).

Otis Rubottom, a southeast Portland resident and author of local ride guide, Rubber to the Road, Volume II, told me he uses the bridge several times a month. “It’s a regular component of my riding schedule,” he said. For Rubottom, the Oregon City Bridge was a key way to build great routes because alternate roads have much more traffic and/or dangerous crossings.

Rubottom wishes there was a way to maintain bike/pedestrian access throughout the project; “Two years is a long time to ask people to totally re-adjust their transit routes, especially in light of limited viable options nearby.”

According to ODOT project manager Rick Keene, the current plan is to use Tri-Met buses and/or other shuttle vehicles to move non-motorized traffic around the bridge closure. Even Keene admits these detour plans are less than ideal; “We don’t have many options here.”

It’s not yet known how many riders (and their bikes) the buses will be able to carry at one time and then there’s the matter of waiting for the next bus.

According to recent ODOT traffic counts, 70 bike riders went northbound on the bridge from 9:00 am to 2:00pm on a Saturday. There were also just about 70 people riding bikes northbound on a weekday count.

Keene and other partners on this project say they’ve brainstormed and tried to come up with better detour plans for non-motorized traffic and they’d love to hear more ideas from the community. If you have suggestions or feedback, please leave them in the comments below.

For more information about the project, check out the official project website at ArchRehab.com

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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michael downes
michael downes
14 years ago

What about a bicycle/ pedestrian ferry? That, after all, is the old school way to cross rivers.

Kt
Kt
14 years ago

Michael, I think the proximity of the waterfall would rule out a ferry.

shawn.
shawn.
14 years ago

Kt, i don’t know if the falls would be that much of an issue. The Navigation Locks are located upstream of the bridge, so boats do come through that way.

Paul S
14 years ago

Canby bridge? Did they replace the ferry?

Which is a beautiful ride BTW and free for bikes!

Richard
Richard
14 years ago

How about asking the city to have a dedicated bus, one bus, to take people over the I-205 bridge and drop them on the other side for the duration of the closure? It would take one bus, constantly circling from one side of the O-City bridge to the other using the Interstate to get across the Willamette.
Would the wait be that intolerable?

R-diddly
R-diddly
14 years ago

You’d think a temporary, floating bike bridge would have to be relatively inexpensive. And there’s negligible need for navigation past that point, since the lock is out of commission.

Hart
14 years ago

A temporary floating bridge could work.

http://www.fewster.com/TLN/tln510-14.jpg

Grimm
14 years ago

Wow. We waited so long on fixing this bridge its going to take two years? Asinine. Maybe if were lucky they will consider shutting down the deteriorating sellwood bridge as well. I got it, lets build a new I5 bridge. Thatll solve everything.

I jest. But really, I just used the bridge for the first time a couple weeks ago. It was great. Largely since it was under construction but closed to cars, I guess I wont be using it again for awhile.

Dave
Dave
14 years ago

I say install a pair of zip lines. Bring a couple carabiners – one for you, one for your bike. You could probably charge a couple bucks for the ride, too.

Wow, just imagining that I made myself a little dizzy…

Phillet Braze
Phillet Braze
14 years ago

Concrete barriers on the NB shoulder of I-205 bridge protecting a narrow temporary bike lane utilizing the on and off ramps at either end of the bridge.

bahueh
bahueh
14 years ago

have you folks actually looked at the location of the bridge in relation to the cliffsides on both ends of it and possible road access?

how do you propose getting down to a ferry exactly or how would you propose climbing/driving/riding up 80 feet of basalt?

There is only private access on the West Linn side…. with no access roads.

Canby ferry is easily 30 miles out of the way by bike…a nice training ride…feel sorry for anyone who was commuting over that thing however.

It should have been replaced decades ago…

Mark C
Mark C
14 years ago

They’re going to have to carve out some sort of access over the I-205 bridge, as post #10 alludes to. I had heard this was being looked into, with ODOT sweeping the shoulder of the bridge regularly.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
14 years ago

Mark C.

I seriously doubt ODOT will make an exception to the law in order to accomodate bikes on their freeway. In speaking with Rick Keene today he made it clear that this was not even an option.

if you have heard otherwise, I’d love to know the source.

Jim Lee
Jim Lee
14 years ago

This nifty little gem is an early bridge by Conde McCullough. Built when Model T Fords ruled the roads, it actually is a steel arch with sprayed-on concrete to protect against the then sulfurous fumes of the paper mill.

I wonder if ODOT will now leave the steel exposed?

2nd Class Citizen
2nd Class Citizen
14 years ago

Wow.

I work with a few folks who commute via this bridge. Guess they’ll be using their cars come November.

Why their cars and not the bus? Because they work real jobs, with real work schedules: very early, or very late. Also known as hours Trimet does not and will not serve.

However, the heart of this matter, to me anyway, is that ODOT (and any other decision making organization involved) is limiting the freedom of movement of pedestrians and cyclists without providing a REAL alternative.

It is this type of type of action that tells me, yes, because I choose to ride full time I am second class citizen.

I will also be riding the I205 bridge during the closure. Anyone care to join me?

eileen
eileen
14 years ago

I would hate to have that be my commute right now! 3 years ago it was. One thing to keep in mind is that this isn’t all ODOT’s fault. There is limited access across the river past Sellwood because the cities of Lake Oswego and West Linn have said no to them on numerous occasions. They didn’t want the riff-raff from the East side of the river invading their pristine communities.

eileen
eileen
14 years ago

Oh, one more thing – anyone remember that guy who commuted from West Linn to Portland by Canoe? There’s another option…

Jacob C
Jacob C
14 years ago

How about a foot bridge that can attach to the side of the 205 pass?

hubert
hubert
14 years ago

What about Oregon City residents who walk across the bridge to West Linn? ODOT is going to force them to drive there? Are they closing the bridge sidewalks, too? I crossed it last week, when it was “closed,” on the sidewalk, and despite almost getting brained by a backhoe, nobody said boo about it.

NEIL FRAEDRICH
NEIL FRAEDRICH
14 years ago

I ride that route to work (4) days a week at 5 am and then at 4:30 pm. I am thinking that the only realistic solution is a bus dedicated to transporting the Bridge Traversing Cyclists, Pedestrians to the other side.
I suspect we will have a fee to pay, I am wondering how much they will charge.

matt picio
14 years ago

Ditto #4 – Canby Ferry, not bridge. The next bridge “south” on the Willamette is the I-205 crossing at Wilsonville, and the next bridge after that is clear down at Newberg / Champoeg State Park.

matt picio
14 years ago

Jonathan (#13) – Well, they’d better do something, or people will illegally use that route anyway. If they don’t provide a legal option, people will do what they have to do.

Anyone who is interested in finding out what ODOT intends to do regarding this project and bikes/peds should attend the next meeting of the Clackamas County Bike/Ped Advisory Committee, where this item is on the agenda. The meeting is held at the county offices in Oregon City – here are the details:

Tuesday, May 5th – 6:15pm to 8:15pm
Development Services Building
Room 301: Third Floor Conference Room
150 Beavercreek Road
Oregon City, OR 97045

Those who don’t want to ride the whole way, you can take bus #33 and hop off on Warner Milne Road at Kaen Road. 150 Beavercreek Road is actually at the intersection with Kaen Road. Look for the brand-new hi-rise.

http://tinyurl.com/d62hg5

robert
robert
14 years ago

River taxi.

Word
Word
14 years ago

I second Phillet Braze’s comment (#10). Setting up concrete barriers would make a safer crossing on I-205. Would the divider make it separate enough to no longer be an issue regarding non-motorized vehicles on the freeway? It would be similar, although temporary, to the bike lane up the middle of the I-205 bridge into Washington.

pedalstrikeforceagentdown

The Canby Ferry isn’t really an alternative to the Oregon City-West Linn bridge for cyclists.

In order to get to it you have to take 99, which has a tunnel with no shoulder.

Kt
Kt
14 years ago

The Canby Ferry is also a bad idea for another reason:

It doesn’t run in the winter.

Sovole
Sovole
14 years ago

Seconding Robert in post 23. River Taxi. An enterprising out of work boat owner could make some money, here.

Robert
Robert
14 years ago

If there is construction going on, there are probably going to be some flaggers around. Every half hour, flag the bridge and let any bikes or pedestrians cross, then open it back up for cars. If no bikes or peds show up, do nothing.

This is not ideal for bikes, but the times could be posted so people can plan ahead. It’s at least as good as a bus, with no bus required.

annie
annie
14 years ago

The whole Oregon City area is a big mess right now for cyclists and pedestrians. In addition to the closure of the bridge, when is the path along 99 between the OC bridge and Clackamette park going to re-open? The closure of that path puts ppl right on 99, and riding 99 by the 205 on-ramps is super scary/dangerous. Bikes and pedestrians are low priority in OC. Lame.

matt picio
14 years ago

pedalstrikeforceagentdown (#25) – Not true, there is a secret pedestrian path to the left of the tunnel that takes you to the right-side sidewalk between 99 and the railroad tracks. It’s really pretty awesome – you can then ride the sidewalk up to the overlook for the falls.

Also, 99 is not the only route to the Canby Ferry, just the most direct. One can also take Central Point Road to New Era Road, and skip 99 entirely.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Portland-to-Champoeg-State-Park-Route-A

Shows where I’m talking about (zoom in on the section from Oregon City to Canby)

pedalstrikeforceagentdown

Matt Picio:

I stand corrected,

and thanks for the tips.

RonC
RonC
14 years ago

There is just no good solution to this. Riding across the I205 bridge would be OK if it had shoulders like the I5 Boone bridge at Wilsonville. But the times I’ve driven the 205 bridge in a car left me with an uneasy feeling about very narrow shoulders and hazardous merging traffic. I think the ‘bike across I205’ option is a disaster waiting to happen.

I hope an effective shuttle-van strategy can be implemented, and that they do what they can to leave bike and pedestrian access open whenever possible in the construction process. And good tips on the Canby Ferry – Central Point Road ride. You can cut in to Canby on Township Road as well. One of my favorite close-in recreational rides, but most definitely not a commute route.

eileen
eileen
14 years ago

canoes with bike racks on both sides of the river. Just ride up, put your bike in the rack, canoe across and then leave the canoe on the opposite side for the next person.

Joe
14 years ago

Wow, I can’t believe they are closing this bridge. I like all the ferry ideas, lol, sounds like it would be quite the ride. Is there not a closer route for cars that bikes can tag along on?

NEIL FRAEDRICH
NEIL FRAEDRICH
14 years ago

I spoke to one of the Workers on the Bridge this AM on my commute across the Bridge in Question, about the date of the Future Closure and He was Clueless.
His comment was that the Bridge was by his current knowledge, to remain open for the duration of the repairs.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
14 years ago

NEIL FRAEDRICH,

He might have been confused about the current partial closure and the future full closure.

The work currently going on is just some prep work for the main project in November and it is currently open to bikes/peds.

However, the closure coming in November will be a full closure — no bikes, no cars, no peds, etc…

matt picio
14 years ago

pedalstrikeforceagentdown (#31) – you’re welcome. I scouted that area extensively trying to find an easy route for bike camping at Champoeg State Park, so I’ve gotten pretty familiar with that area.

If you get the chance to take the tunnel, give that a shot – it’s really cool.

Another neat “shortcut” in OC is the municipal elevator, which cuts out about 120′ of climbing – it’s run by a city employee during the day, and you can take your bike on it. Unfortunately, it can’t really hold more than 1 or (maybe) 2 bikes at a time. It’s unique, though, and there’s a great view of OC from the top.

John Russell
14 years ago

Living in Vancouver, I thankfully shouldn’t be riding down that far south between the months of September and April, but come next summer, I don’t think I would shy away from simply riding onto the Abernethy at the Willamette Drive on-ramp and off at the next. Sure, it’s a narrow shoulder, but no worse than most bike lanes.

Looking at Google Maps Street View, it would look as if the left-hand shoulders are just as wide as the opposite ones. Why not just narrow those down to something like they are on the I-5 bridge over the Columbia Slough and then move the lanes over accordingly to widen the right-hand shoulder? It would also increase safety for broken down cars on the bridge as well.