(Photo © J. Maus)
As we reported back in April, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is planning to close the historic Oregon City/West Linn Arch Bridge for two years during a major rehabilitation project.
The problem with the project is that there has not yet emerged a solution for how to detour non-motorized traffic. Cars and trucks can zip around the project and use I-205 to the north, but bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed on that stretch of highway. The closest crossings for bikes and pedestrians would be the Sellwood Bridge (six miles north) or the Canby Ferry (nine miles south) — making neither of them viable options.
ODOT’s Region 1 Manager Jason Tell, told me on the phone this morning that trying to figure out a solution has been “extremely difficult and challenging.”
That’s why ODOT will lead a tour of the project area with local elected officials, experts, and advocates tomorrow.
Confirmed for the tour are the mayors of both West Linn and Oregon City. Clackamas County Chair Lynn Peterson, the executive director of the Oregon City business association, ODOT engineers and project managers, Michelle Poyourow with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), and others.
Poyourow says the BTA is “much more than concerned” about the impending closure, but as of today, ODOT says they’re still at a loss for how to make it happen.
“Whatever we have to make sure we won’t add more time to the closure. If we build some type of bridge for bikes and pedestrians, we have to ask, will it be safe and will it be something the contractor can work around?”
— Christine Miles, ODOT
ODOT spokesperson Christine Miles said many proposed solutions simply don’t pan out. Ferries would be difficult, she says, because of the extremely steep cliffs below the towns on each side. Even if a path could be built, making it ADA compliant would present challenges. Miles also told BikePortland this morning that the bridge is narrow (about 28-feet wide) and that the equipment to be used during the project is large — meaning no room would exist for a bike/ped pathway on the bridge during the project.
Miles repeatedly expressed that their main concern for any bike/ped access solution is safety, and that all options are on the table. “We’re taking a serious look at every option right now.”
(Photo: Wikipedia)
Keeping a path open for non-motorized access during the project was initially in the plans from ODOT, but after looking at it more closely, they now see no way that can happen. They acknowledge that a two-year closure would be a major pain for people that use bicycles or their feet to get from West Linn to Oregon City (or vice versa) and they have also heard from local business owners that it would severely impact their business.
The bridge was closed for three weeks during some utility work back in May. We spoke to businesses in downtown Oregon City and they reported a drop in business of 50%. The prospect of the longer closure is making many of them very nervous.
Miles said ODOT is having regular meetings with business owners to help deal with concerns, but Francesca Maimone, owner of Avanti Salon in Oregon City, says the meetings have not been helpful (she described them as “kind of like a joke” and “really frustrating”).
Maimone said her business depends on traffic coming on and off the bridge. Absent of motor vehicle traffic, she said she hopes some level of travel can be retained during the project. “It’s possible to do something to keep it open. I think it’s important for bikes and pedestrians who depend on that bridge to come across.”
One idea that has been put forward is to build a separate, cantilevered bike and pedestrian crossing off the bridge that could be used during construction. (The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has sent a letter to ODOT with that recommendation, but I have not seen the letter yet.) When asked about that idea, Miles said that besides safety concerns, ODOT has to make sure that any new pathway that is built doesn’t add more time to the closure. “Whatever we have to make sure we won’t add more time to the closure. If we build some type of bridge for bikes and pedestrians, we have to ask, will it be safe and will it be something the contractor can work around?”
Miles said tomorrow’s tour is ODOT’s attempt to have local leaders understand the challenges they face. She also said she hopes to glean some expertise from the BTA. “We want to show that we’re serious about finding a solution and we need their help in finding one.”
ODOT regional manager Jason Tell echoed that statement, saying “We’re throwing a lot at this to try and figure it out… and we want to get others involved to help us solve it.”
A decision about bicycle and pedestrian access is expected to be made by the end of this year, but Miles says they’d like to make one sooner if possible. Construction on the project is slated to go from Jan 2010-2012. Learn more at ArchRehab.com.