UPDATE, 1/14/19: This closure has been extended through February 1st. Please see the latest details on TriMet’s website.
If you’re one of the many people who rely on the carfree overpass that connects the neighborhoods of Brooklyn to Creston-Kenilworth, a repair project might impact your trips.
TriMet crews are working to improve the durability of the elevators at the Rhine-Lafayette Overpass. Since the bridge opened in 2015, the elevator — which is a key feature for bicycle users — has had a spotty reliability record.
Here’s what TriMet announced this morning about the status of the project:
The two-week closure of the elevators at the Rhine-Lafayette Pedestrian Overpass in southeast Portland starts today, Monday, Dec. 17 through Friday, Jan. 4. The elevators will be closed throughout that time with the entire overpass (stairs and elevators) closed at times for safety reasons. When crews are not working—about 4 p.m. to 7 a.m.—the overpass and stairs will be open for use. This is part of an improvement project that began Nov. 26 to increase the reliability of the elevators. We appreciate the patience of those who use the overpass as we make the improvements.
For more information, check out the official project page at TriMet.org.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Grrrr. I can report first hand that there were zero notices posted anywhere near/on/around the bridge and crossing Friday or Saturday. As I took it both ways both days. I am SUPER glad they are fixing this bridge, but really, really, really annoyed at the lack of communication! I love reading the blog, but I shouldn’t find out that a major bridge is closed via this channel
Incorrect. There has been a sign there describing the work plan for about a month.
Where SilkySlim? I saw the construction detour signs waiting (for reasons I now understand), but truly did not see any notices this weekend about the closure. Maybe I ride to fast 🙂 (but that’s not true when I’m still waiting for the elevator).
There has been one of those sandwich board signs right in front of the elevator, breaking down the various work periods. It was even updated at least once as the dates shifted. I actually came on here to post how I rode straight up 20th this morning w/o even swinging by the elevator since I knew the work was coming. No big deal in my book, and glad they scheduled it for two weeks where my bike commuting is minimal (holiday travel).
You’ll just have to believe me that those were not there Friday evening (5pm-ish) or Saturday (11am-ish and then again 3pm-ish). I do apologize for saying there were zero notices, but there were zero the days right before the closure. 🙁
Hey, don’t feel bad- the first winter after they built it, it would be closed without warning for days or weeks at a time, with no notifications through the tri-met elevator alert system. So the fact that they placed a sign somewhere that at least one of us noticed is a step in the right direction.
This was the sign posted a couple weeks ago and it was still there this morning:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/a2oopi/trimet_rhine_lafayette_elevators_and_overpass_out/
If I’m remembering right, that sign isn’t facing the most common bike approach to the elevator.
I’m still ticked that they didn’t make a ramp: it would be faster to navigate, and it would require no electricity, little maintenance, and it wouldn’t break down/stop working on a regular basis.
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The closure is a daily (for me) reminder of that initial lack of foresight and follow-through.
Tri-Met must have gotten a sweet bulk deal on elevator parts – a bunch of elevators along the I-84 MAX have also been closed for repairs recently.
It’s now 3 weeks past the posted work timeframe and the entire overpass is closed. Including the stairs. Trimet is mute, does anyone have any information on the subject?
Trimet posts information under ‘service alerts’ for the 17 bus.
And the MUP on the south side of Powell was finally cleaned up.