next week.
(Photo © J. Maus)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has installed new signs to warn people when the lower deck of the Steel Bridge is closed. The signs, placed on North Interstate Avenue and near the bike-only signal above the Esplanade, are due to become operational next week.
The signs are cautionary orange, have flashing beacons on either side, include the bike and walk symbol and have the words, “Steel Bridge lower deck path closed when lights flash.”
Here’s how PBOT spokesman Dan Anderson explains how they’ll work:
“The signs will flash whenever the gates are closed on the lower deck path, no matter what the reason. They will flash when the lower deck is lifted for river traffic as well as when there is a closure for maintenance, or if there are any further malfunctions of the gates.”
“We hope it saves people time and reduces the level of frustration many feel when they get to the crossing only to find it closed.”
— Dan Anderson, PBOT
Last summer, the gates on the Steel Bridge path malfunctioned several times. I asked Anderson if these signs were a response to those problems.
“The mechanical and electrical issues on the 99-year-old Steel Bridge’s lower deck gates remain an issue,” he replied, “although these incidents have been greatly reduced. Whether they are closed for a bridge lift, maintenance or malfunctioning doesn’t matter to someone who cannot cross the river as planned.”
So far, two signs have been installed. Anderson says the locations were chosen to “address places where travelers are above the bridge and can’t easily see that the lower deck path is closed, but would have the option to use the upper deck sidewalks if they are informed.” (See a contextual view of one on Interstate in this photo).
“We hope it saves people time and reduces the level of frustration many feel when they get to the crossing only to find it closed.”
At this point, the new signs are a pilot project, but Anderson says the detector/transmitter hardware that’s already been installed on the bridge will allow them to easily add more signs as future funding, or demand, allows. The signs were paid for through the City’s “Keep Portland Moving” project.