Be aware of a significant closure of the Springwater Corridor Trail path in southeast Portland early next month. Portland General Electric tells BikePortland there will be two sections of closures that will begin in early September.
A reader sent us an image of a sign and said when she called the Portland General Electric number, no one she spoke to could share any details about how the closure would impact the path. “This will have a big impact on lots of people’s morning commutes (mine included) so I thought more investigation may be warranted.”
I reached out to a spokesperson at the Portland Parks Bureau, who connected me with PGE Community Engagement Manager Alex Cousins. Cousins said PGE crews are scheduled to replace four transmission poles along the Springwater between September 8th-12th. Since they are high voltage lines, the path will be closed in two sections on those days from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. Here are the exact details of the closures, according to Cousins:
Going east to west, the first closure will be from SE Stanley to SE 55th. That detour utilizes SE Firwood St. The second closure will be from SE 55th to SE Johnson Creek Blvd. That detour utilizes SE Rainbow Lane, SE Brookside Drive and a short segment of SE Johnson Creek Blvd. There are bike lanes and crosswalks on that segment of Johnson Creek.
As for why PGE customer service reps didn’t know anything about this? The contractor put up the signs before the reps were notified. It happens sometimes!
If this is your commute route or if you ride here and you experience the detour, please keep me posted on how it goes. And thanks to reader Shyla O. the heads up and the photo.
NOTE, 8/28 at 8:05 am: This post was initially published with incomplete information from PGE that described one, longer closure. Sorry for any confusion.
