Happy Friday and Welcome back to The Shed.
Retired bike shop co-owner and BikeLoud PDX Board Member Eva Frazier and I (BikePortland Publisher & Editor Jonathan Maus) had a wonderful chat and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Here’s what we talked about:
- That awful bumpy section on NE Tillamook between Rodney and MLK.
- How I keep track of so many meetings.
- Why Mayor Wheeler is a PCEF superfan (related BikePortland story)
- Eva’s report back from Future Sandy open house (related BikePortland story)
- Who’s lying, Commissioner Mapps or business leader Andrew Hoan?
- Why I’m so mad about Rose City Recreation Trail project.
- PBOT budget quiz
- Eva walked 10 minutes from Union Station to find a charged Biketown
- PBOT should use PCEF money for Biketown upgrade
- St. Johns Bridge photos and community discussion on BP Instagram.
Thanks for listening, thanks to our paid subscribers, and thanks to Brock Dittus (of Sprocket Podcast fame) for our theme music. Listen via the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
River Crossing Visualizations | Interstate Bridge Replacement Program
These are the current renderings of the IBRP (pronounced I burp) Columbia River I-5 Bridge project. I’m not surprised Double-Deck designs are among them to coverup previous wasted efforts pretending they’re actually possible. Most are a variety of Single-Deck designs to waste time picking the pretty one, never mind which one is most sensible. Access to and road layout for Hayden Island is still up in the air adding more millions to the $200 million spent so far in the ODOT/WsDOT “planning” scam.
After a day of thought and more looks at the collection of 2023 renderings (each rendering has additional 3, 4 or more views), here follows my thinking: I’ve always thought 5-lanes Northbound made sense because afternoon rush hour traffic is heavier than morning rush plus the exits to SR14 East and Downtown Vancouver are too close together (2 exit lanes, 3 thru-lanes Northbound). Southbound need be only 4-lanes now because there is only 1 exit at Marine Drive. Hayden Island access is from Marine Dr local road bridge on the east side of 1-5. I am as yet unsure this local bridge and road network is doable.
MAX light rail (2 lanes) with an elevated station on Hayden Island will be on the west side and the Ped/bikeway (1 lane) on the east side of I-5. This makes a dual span 6-lanes in each direction; much simpler than my 5-lane North, 4-lane South, 3-lane Transit/ped/bike span plus exit/entrance ramps on each side. The new I-5 will be completely elevated across Hayden Island and the ground below graded. Mature treescape lining I-5 on Hayden Island would reduce traffic noise and filter airborne particulates.
My next question is about bridge height: Renderings suggest the Hayden Island ‘north underpass’ will be raised about 10′. With a single-deck bridge, that makes the river clearance above the shipping channel about 140′. In 2013, the official Coast Guard minimum clearance was 125′ and probably remains the same today. The problem may be that the new river clearance at Vancouver water’s edge may be less than 125′. The BNSF railroad bridge downriver must build a new lift span above the channel for ships to steer course through, which is a good idea anyway.
Of the proposed bridge designs then, I favor the single-deck “stressed concrete” as simple and elegant. I need to see more renderings of the Hayden Island local access and road network and accurate aerial renderings of the project from Marine Dr to Vancouver. Lastly, I’d just nix the 2 northernmost interchanges in Warshington. I hope this little treatise will help concerned citizens learn more about the I Burp I-5 project than the little ODOT/WsDOT honchos care to explain honestly.
To decommission the surviving 4 Talgo trainsets after the inaugural wreck was a wrong move. The accidental cause was driver error, not equipment. Talgo trainset tech was hailed “MADE IN USA” rail advancement that holds records today of weight, stable cornering, comfort stability, etc. Why decommission them then not rebuild the early Wisconsin effort.
What was it about the brand MADE IN USA
Gov Walker didn’t understand? ?
May 9th around 11:30am while riding south through Rose City Golf Course I watched a jackass in a big red truck hop the curbs just past the gate and proceed to drive north. So cars are still ignoring the change… any news from PBoT on what else they’re going to do to prevent it? Or have they just moved on & given up on trying to keep cars out?
Geez, what is it with Regulars not putting in their 2-cents worth not contributing to this important issue. Debate BEV vs PHEV vs HFCEV — Which of the 3 offers MOST benefits, applications, potential to reduce fuel/energy ‘consumption’ emissions AND insane traffic? Correct Answer is – wait for it – PHEV to serve a 60% market share as the EV tech best suited to long haul freight truck fleets. DIVEST DAIMLER Truck division.
ReTool for PHEV “IMMEDIATELY” — — All transit bus fleet models are obsolete. Paratransit GM/FORD paratransit “lift-vans” should be Low-floor easy boarding and much safer road handling EVs better than same old rattletraps, clammy, too cold or hot rigs at twice the price, from $400.ooo to $800.ooo same old rattletraps nobody uses.
This wurd brot 2 U by LOTi. yer welkum. :*)
Yeaaa I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about… Reply to the wrong comment/wrong topic perhaps?
Sorry about my comment being a little off topic, Mitch. I was looking for input on the general subject of automobile-dependency despite being told many times my take on that is too technical. I still have 4 bikes – 2 folding bikes, a semi-recumbent and a standard with upright handlebars.
My efforts to make bicycling safer begin with making it less convenient to drive. On the ridiculous proposal for the Green Loop Bikeway downtown, for instance, I’m saying remove a parking lane on the parkside for a protected 2-way bike lane on Park Ave north of Burnside and on 8th Ave north of Burnside. Most of my time is spent studying traffic hazards and prospective solutions.
edit: “a protected 2-way bike lane on Park Ave ‘south’ of Burnside and on 8th Ave ‘north’ of Burnside.”
The Green Loop as proposed for this segment is for all park blocks to get 5′ sidewalks at the curb plus a 4′ bikeway of concrete or asphalt, taking out dozens of trees in the process. This clearly shows Ted Wheeler’s family tradition of felling trees for pleasure.