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Injury crash near OMSI raises concern – Updated


A Portland woman fell and broke her clavicle
in this location yesterday. Note the lighter
pavement on the right that is raised a bit
from the roadway.

There’s currently a detour around OMSI that takes bicycle traffic off the Eastbank Esplanade and onto the bike lane on SW Water Avenue. A Portland woman riding in that lane yesterday crashed near a storm grate and fractured her clavicle. Here’s a bit more from the woman who was injured:

“I think the hazard deserves attention. The problem: a low curb which runs parallel to the bike lane and is virtually invisible from the perspective of a cyclist in the lane. OMSI safety personnel reported that there have been multiple crashes in this scenario over the years.”

This location is a known hazard. Reader Mark Ginsberg calls it “the lip”. He says he’s been working to get it fixed. “The pull-off area [for loading/unloaded at OMSI] is about 1/2 inch higher than the road, so there is a lip the entire length of the pull off area.”

Here’s another photo:

Has anyone else had a problem with this area near OMSI?

UPDATE, 4:45pm: This story initially made it seem like the strom drain grate in the photo is what caused the crash. I regret the confusion and I have updated the headline and the story to make things more clear. (Note: I was unable to update it sooner due to being in a car for the past 3.5 hours!).

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