TriMet has begun their biennial (every other year) inspection of the Tilikum Crossing and the work comes with detours for bicycle riders.
The path needs to be closed so a contractor hired by TriMet can inspect the bridge cables. The Oregon Department of Transportation will take the opportunity to do its own inspections at the same time.
The biking and walking path on the bridge will be closed on alternating sides for the remainder of June. TriMet says the closures will be in effect from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm during weekdays. One side of the path will remain accessible at all times.
If you use the bridge during these closures, TriMet urges you to not ride against the direction of traffic. They recommend either using the nearby Hawthorne Bridge or walking your bike on the bridge.
TriMet expects this inspection work to be completed by June 27th.
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Would it be possible for Trimet to tell us IN ADVANCE which side is closed? Cuz it sounds likely that I’ll arrive at the bridge, find the side I need closed, and then have to ride quite a detour to the Hawthorne.
It’s amazing how much work our transpo agencies put into making sure car and truck drivers are never ever ever inconvenienced – they always know about detours in advance. But if you ride a bike, you’re expected to get there and learn what the detour is.
If you get on TriMet’s mailing list, I’m pretty confident they’ll tell you when the bridge will be closed. Their communication style is effusive.
As JM said, the bridge is closed but one side will remain open – except we won’t know which side til we get there.
For what it’s worth, I went through yesterday and it was the south side that was closed. I’d be surprised if they alternated inspecting sides more than a couple of times.
I 100% agree with your sentiment but, in this specific case, one side will always be open and you can walk your bike over the “wrong” side instead of going up to Hawthorne.
Definitely they should at least do that. Once you arrive at the bridge, you’re as far as possible away from the alternatives (Hawthorne or Sellwood bridges).
Actually, it seems like it wouldn’t be that big a deal to have people biking both directions, at least in non-peak times. I assume you can still do that even if it’s discouraged. You’re taking up half the width of someone walking a bike.
As someone who works near several at-grade rail crossing and the bridges, I can tell you that they’re not doing a very good job of this if that’s the case.
It might make sense for you to plan on using the Hawthorne for the rest of the month.
Thanks for the heads up! I’ll remember to leave a 5 min early to allow for the possibility of having to walk at 3-4 mph for 1720 feet instead of riding. Oh, I should probably allow an extra 5 min for gawking at the inspection workers doing their jobs…
I saw about a dozen near misses between cyclists yesterday while crossing around noon. The “wrong way” signage says to please use the Hawthorne bridge, and the “right way” signage doesn’t exist. Users crossing in the normal direction have no warning that there is a detour or that they may encounter other cyclists coming at them. It was incredibly dangerous, especially with the increased number of pedestrians present.