New bridge on Springwater Corridor to open January 15th

Nice and smooth. Photo taken today by Maija Spencer, Portland Parks & Recreation.

(Map: BikePortland)

If you ride the Springwater Corridor in southeast Portland you’ll be in for a treat on Wednesday. That’s when Portland Parks & Recreation will officially open a new bridge over Johnson Creek near SE 45th Place.

The old bridge was made out of wood and was used by the Springwater Division Railroad Line in the early 1900s. Its large footings in the creek constrained fish movements and caused debris to accumulate during storms. PP&R’s new bridge is made out of steel and concrete and doesn’t disturb the creek at all because it anchors to its banks. This will lead to healthier habitats and more free-flowing water. Up above where we ride, the new bridge surface will be much smoother than the old, bumpy railroad planks.

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(Photo by Maija Spencer, PP&R)
The old bridge.

This is one of two bridges on the Springwater Corridor being replaced thanks to the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond. That bond allocated $2.3 million for this project and Parks spokesperson Mark Ross says they plan to come in under budget.

In related news, Metro Council is poised to approve funding for the Trolley Bridge which would extend the Trolley Trail via Portland Avenue in Gladstone with the Clackamas River Trail in Oregon City. The project is part of Metro’s 2022-2024 federal flexible funds program.

In other regional trail news, Metro will host is next Quarterly Trails Forum on Monday, January 27th from 1:00 to 3:15 pm at Metro Council Chambers (600 NE Grand Ave). This forum will include experts and updates on issues and projects from around the region.

— 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 driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me 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 paying subscriber.

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SilkySlim
SilkySlim
4 years ago

Nice!! I will not miss those wood planks, although they never gave me a flat through who knows how many traverses. The neighborhood detour was actually pretty decent during the work period. I’m going to check this out later in the week!

Al
Al
4 years ago

Yes! The old bridge was like riding through a rock garden on a 1980’s Huffy!

This looks absolutely luxurious!

eawriste
eawriste
4 years ago

When do we get that bridge across Deep Creek to Barton?

Ken S
Ken S
4 years ago

This is objectively good and I can’t complain, but I will miss the old, bumpy planks.

I would pretend they were Paris-roubaix style cobblestones, hitting each “sector” in my highest fear and mash the pedals (further pretending to be a pro…) And yelling “ROUBAIX!!”

(Disclaimer: I don’t these shenanigans when paths are crowded, that word be rude and alarming)

Jason
Jason
4 years ago

Ah yes, “the speed bump bridge.” That will be really nice.

Todd Boulanger
Todd Boulanger
4 years ago

Its funny – I tried to Google Streetview this trail segment hoping that Google did a sweep of it with their tail camera…but the only did the links at the Heron Lakes Golf Club next door.

Sheilagh Griffin
Sheilagh Griffin
4 years ago
Reply to  Todd Boulanger

This is by Johnson Creek, pretty far from Heron Lakes.

Joe Adamski
Joe Adamski
4 years ago

A bit confused. Are you referring to the new bridge between South East 145th and Jenne road or is there another bridge at 45th?

Joe Adamski
Joe Adamski
4 years ago
Reply to  Joe Adamski

OopS.. Follow ALL the links before commenting.

Jim Lee
Jim Lee
4 years ago

Very nice design.

Let us hope the 405–Flanders structure is to the same standard.

Ben Helgren
Ben Helgren
4 years ago

Back in middle School when Springwater trail was young we used to ride over the railroad ties with no planks. That was a bumpy ride.

Hello, Kitty
4 years ago
Reply to  Ben Helgren

And we tied an onion to our belts, which was the fashion in the day.

Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley
4 years ago
Reply to  Ben Helgren

I one rode from Bend to Sunriver over the ties on the BNSF railroad thinking it would be faster than either the highway or backcountry trails. I was very wrong.

Chris I
Chris I
4 years ago
Reply to  Mike Quigley

That’s a fairly active railroad. Not a great idea for many reasons.

Toby Keith
Toby Keith
4 years ago

Is it safe to ride the Springwater lately?

Brian
Brian
4 years ago
Reply to  Toby Keith

Yes.

Matt
Matt
4 years ago

Seems like a lot of money to make something that worked…work better. Would rather put that toward something new somewhere else. For instance, since this was funded by a parks replacement bond, maybe playground equipment from some of the parks where lead-paint equipment was removed and not replaced (Mt. Tabor, Laurelhurst Park, etc.).