Closures of Rhine-Lafayette overpass begin November 26th

UPDATE: The closure of the Rhine-Lafayette Pedestrian Overpass in southeast Portland that had been planned for Monday, Nov. 19 through Wednesday, Nov. 21, has been postponed. The elevator improvement project will now begin Monday, Nov. 26, with elevators closing Monday, Dec. 17 through Friday, Jan. 4. Full closures of the overpass will be necessary at times. We will install HVAC equipment inside the elevator towers to regulate the temperature and humidity year-round. We also will be installing canopies over both elevator towers and adding drainage at the base of the towers to prevent rain from getting into the elevator mechanisms. More.

Be advised that TriMet is doing work on the Rhine-Lafayette bridge elevators that will close it to bicycle users for three days this month and then again for two weeks in December. Check the official statement below for more info:

Three-day closure begins Monday, Nov. 19 with intermittent closures of elevators through Jan. 4

The Rhine-Lafayette Pedestrian Overpass in southeast Portland will close Monday, Nov. 19 through Wednesday, Nov. 21, as TriMet makes improvements to increase the reliability of the bridge’s elevators. The pedestrian overpass spans railroad tracks in the Brooklyn neighborhood, and connects SE Lafayette Street with SE Rhine Street. It provides connections to TriMet’s MAX Orange Line at the SE 17th Ave & Rhine St Station as well as to the Line 17-Holgate/Broadway, Line 70-12th/NE 33rd Ave and Line 291-Orange Night Bus. We will install HVAC equipment inside the elevator towers to regulate the temperature and humidity year-round. We also will be installing canopies over both elevator towers and adding drainage at the base of the towers to prevent rain from getting into the elevator mechanisms.

Construction closure schedule
The improvements will take about seven weeks and require the full closure of the Rhine-Lafayette overpass at times. The first full closure of the bridge comes at the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday week.

Full closure of the pedestrian overpass:
– Monday, Nov. 19 – Wednesday, Nov. 21

Construction continues with no impact to users:
– Monday, Nov. 26 – Friday, Dec. 14

Elevators closed and intermittent closures of the overpass possible:
– Monday, Dec. 17 – Friday, Jan. 4

Also, SE Rhine Street east of SE 18th Avenue and SE Lafayette Street west of SE 20th Avenue will be closed Monday, Nov. 19 through Friday, Jan. 4.

Plan extra time for detour
During the closures, a detour will guide pedestrians and cyclists north to SE Powell Boulevard to cross under the railroad tracks. Those who use the Rhine-Lafayette overpass should plan an extra 10 to 15 minutes to navigate the detour between both sides of the bridge.

From the east side of the bridge, proceed north on SE 20th Avenue about 0.2 mile, then go west on SE Powell Boulevard another 0.2 mile. Cross SE Powell Boulevard Frontage Road and proceed south about 0.15 mile to SE Rhine Street.

From the west side of the bridge, proceed north on SE 17th Avenue about 0.15 mile and cross SE Powell Boulevard Frontage Road to SE Powell Boulevard. Go east on SE Powell Boulevard for another 0.2 mile and turn south on SE 20th Avenue for 0.2 mile to reach SE Lafayette Street.

— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org

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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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Andrew Kreps
Andrew Kreps
5 years ago

You know, it’s honestly not a 10 minute detour- it might actually save time to go under the tracks on the south side of Powell, depending on what phase the elevators are in when you approach.

The problems though, are many.

– The drop down under the tracks is _very_ steep
– Under the bridge is quite dark, you could easily hit an unseen object when you’re moving fast
– The ramp up is also steep
– Once you’re up, you have a hard left and you’re crossing Powell traffic (read: quite fast)
– Then you have to make two more lefts across traffic

After that you’re back in the safety of a MUP, for a moment. I’ve done this a lot, as I cannot safely maneuver my cargo bike up the stairs when the elevators are out.

Mark
Mark
5 years ago

The schedule changed again. It’s starting monday 12/3.

https://trimet.org/schedules/r017.htm#alert

Lee Smith
Lee Smith
4 years ago

So it took the city 11 years to do this after the death of my friends son Christopher John King back in 2007?