link in the bike network, has been
closed for over 10 months.
The Vancouver Avenue Bridge over the Columbia Slough in North Portland has been closed to all vehicle traffic since last May for a rehabilitation project. PBOT initially planned to have it open by December 2010, but project delays caused them to push back the opening until the end of February.
Unfortunately, the bridge remains closed. After several readers got in touch with us wanting to know an update, we found out that PBOT now plans to have it open by April 16th. Among the reasons for the delayed completion of the project is the wet weather which has made it difficult to do concrete work.
The closure has caused a major headache for people who rely on Vancouver Ave as a connection between Vancouver (WA) and North Portland. Not only does the closure make bike access much more difficult, but the detour options were difficult to follow and put people on roads that are much less comfortable than Vancouver Ave.
Hopefully the bridge opens soon. We’ll keep you posted.