(Photo: PBOT)
The Portland Bureau of Transportation has just announced a ten-day closure of the paths on the Tilikum Crossing Bridge between mid-April and the first week of May.
The closures are needed as part of their SW Bond Avenue Extension project, which will build a new road below the Marquam and Tilikum Bridges.
Here are the details about the upcoming Tilikum Crossing Bridge path closures:
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While utility installation proceeds through the end of winter, the contractor will begin pouring curb, gutter and sidewalk. Notably, from April 15 through May 8, the contractor will connect Bond Avenue to Porter Street (the west end of Tilikum Crossing). This will require temporary closures of the multi-use paths on Tilikum Crossing – one at a time. The current schedule calls for the north side path to be closed for ten days, from April 15 through 28; the south side path for seven days, from April 29 through May 8. This will mean two-way pedestrian and bicycle travel on one side of the bridge for the duration. In addition, some night work will be necessary to avoid or reduce transit disruptions. PBOT and Goodfellow Brothers, Inc. are working closely with TriMet on these closures and will provide additional details as the dates approach. Substantial completion of the Bond Avenue Extension is anticipated in July.
If you have any questions or concerns about this project, contact PBOT Project Manager Steve Szigethy at steve.szigethy@portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-5117.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Maybe it’s just me, but bike routes sure seem to get 100% closed at the drop of a hat for so many unrelated-to-bicycling projects, but not so much the car roads. My own selection bias or something like that, I guess.
I had the same thought. But, obviously, if you actually had anywhere important to get to in a timely manner you’d be driving anyways… /s
It’s 50% closed. You’ll still be able to cross the bridge. “Lane closures” are very common, and you’ll be happy to hear, inconvenience drivers.
Construction of SW Bond is not an “unrelated-to-bicycling project”. When the full length of Bond is built it will be the main northbound bike route from South Waterfront to Downtown. Until then it provide a useful northbound connection from the Tilikum and OHSU Schnitzer Campus, with a fully protected sidewalk level bike lane.
Is it really going under the Tilikum? The way they’re building up the road makes it look like it will intersect, creating a new place for bikes and transit to have to stop for cars. Hope I’m wrong.
It is indeed intersecting Tilikum, which is a dumb design choice IMO, but what do I know…
SW Bond will indeed intersect the Tilikum. This is good because it makes direct connections to the bridge for bikes and pedestrians. It also allows provides a uniform street level for buildings to design to. The planned Waterfront Greenway Trail will run underneath the Tillikum however, closer to the waterfront. If you’re just bicycling through the district, you’ll have unimpeded direct bikeway on the future trail. The City of Portland has a webpage all about the future greenway trail. Unfortunately, a big gap in this trail is tied to the future of the Zidell site, which the city and Zidell group failed to ink a deal. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/index.cfm?&c=71363
Bond is supposed to have it’s only Moody-esque cycletrack too. Hopefully they haven’t changed their plans for it. It would be a huge disappointment since they’re adding 2 parking lanes and 2 car lanes. The park bike path is more sunday family bike “stroll” oriented it seems. Very curvy (for aesthetic purposes…no burning design/infra requirement to be curvy).
I was worried about something like this when I saw a bunch of construction markings painted on the path recently. I wonder how long after the opening of this road it will be before someone will drive onto the bridge.
Answer: 2 seconds.
There is nothing stopping a person from driving onto the bridge from Moody or Water Avenue currently.
I’m pretty sure that’s already happened. I think only the most egregious violations make the news… You may recall the (drunk?) driver who tried to drive through the MAX tunnel underneath the west hills..
Sounds like Harbor Drive 2.0
No.
To get to the Tilikum bridge from the OHSU tram I’m supposed to cross two slow and awkward signaled intersections even though the bridge is on the same side of SW Moody. The SW Bond cycle track would let me avoid all of that nonsense.