The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) plans to close NW Bridge Avenue for six months starting Monday, January 8th. The closure will impact bicycling and other vehicle access to the St. Johns Bridge and will increase freight truck traffic on N Lombard between Kenton and St. Johns.
The closure of the southern section of NW Bridge between the west end of the St. Johns Bridge and Highway 30 will allow ODOT crews to address a persistent problem of landslides on the hillside above the road. We covered a rockfall that closed the street for a few months back in 2022. ODOT says there’s been about one major rockfall a year for the past five years.
The planned detours (see maps below) will impact bicycle riders in two major ways.
First, if you are riding north on Hwy 30 and want to get up onto the St. Johns Bridge, instead of using the signal south of the bridge to get onto the southern section of NW Bridge Ave, you’ll have to bike one additional mile north. The detour will take you under the St. Johns Bridge and then you’ll need to merge over two lanes of Hwy 30 (and its 45 mph speed limit) to use the left-turn signal that will get you onto the northern side of NW Bridge. (And similarly, if you’re on the St. Johns Bridge and want to go south (toward downtown) on Highway 30, you’ll be routed north on NW Bridge Ave and will need to ride an additional mile.)
This intersection is a bit more dangerous than the one of the southern side because sight lines are not as clear. You might recall that in May 2020, an experienced Portland bike rider was injured in a collision with a truck driver at this location.
ODOT says they will create “accessible detours” for bike riders. Hopefully the longer closure will come with signage and markings that will calm traffic and make people more cautious.
The other traffic impact we’ll be tracking during this six-month closure will be the increase in freight traffic on N Lombard between I-5 and St. Johns. ODOT striped new bike lanes and added other safety features to this section of Lombard in 2022 and the new conditions have drawn more bicycling traffic. Hopefully the presence of more trucks doesn’t create a safety hazard and/or scare people away from riding there.
This closure of NW Bridge is expected to last from January 8th to July 2nd. Learn more and find ODOT contact information on the project website.