According to multiple emails I’ve received in recent days, we’ve got another Steel Bridge bike path closure problem. This 113-year-old bridge has a history of problems that result in a gate swinging shut and closing access to the lower deck — a lower deck that just happens to be a vital link in our transportation system.
This morning, BikePortland reader Scott reported that the path had been closed since at least Saturday morning. And reader Alex wrote into say he couldn’t find any information about the closure. “No signs or warnings and the alternate route and the alternative over the top deck is not safe or fair to the pedestrians,” Alex added. And a reader named Brianna shared that the blinking warning lights on Naito did not indicate a gate closure, but she’s noticed it closed since Monday. Folks on Reddit are also wondering what’s going on.
I heard from someone named Jessica this morning that they found the gate closed on their way home from work at 11:00 pm last night, then tried the nearby Broadway Bridge, only to find it closed as well (due to a Multnomah County project).
I don’t have any new information to share (I’ll update this post when I hear back from PBOT), but I do know this path is notorious for closures due to technical difficulties.
Last summer the path was closed for over a week due to what PBOT said was a camera malfunction. Bridge operators use cameras to detect whether or not it’s safe to close the path for passing ships, and when the cameras are on the fritz, they keep the path closed by default for safety reasons. BikePortland reported on another prolonged closure due to the camera issue in 2013.
Of course there are other bridges folks can take across the Willamette as an alternate, but they’re not as convenient for many folks. There’s also the upper deck or the sidewalk adjacent to it. But both of those options come with pitfalls: the upper deck is a shared-lane environment that could be stressful for more riders and the sidewalk is very narrow and is often used by pedestrians.
For now, stay tuned for an update from PBOT and keep me posted about what you see out there.
Thanks for reading.
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