New sharrows on Main Street in Oregon City.
Will they put these on the Arch Bridge too?
(Photos: Don Arambula)

According to a source close to the project, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the cities of West Linn and Oregon City are strongly considering installing sharrow markings on the historic Arch Bridge when it re-opens next month after a multi-million rehabilitation project.

Back in August, we wondered whether the time was right for ODOT to add sharrows to the bridge’s main roadway. After all, we thought, ODOT installed sharrows on the St. Johns Bridge back in May following a similar rehab project. And like the St. Johns, the Arch Bridge has sub-standard sidewalks that do not adequately serve bicycle traffic. With people all but forced onto the main bridge roadway, having a large bicycle symbol in the center of the lane would be a small, yet helpful, bike safety improvement. [Read more…]

After requests by citizens, ODOT says they’re considering the possibility of sharrows on the Oregon City/West Linn Arch Bridge.

[Read more…]

The Oregon Department of Transportation has announced that the Oregon City/West Linn Bridge will re-open to traffic on Monday, October 15th. The bridge, a key bike connection between the two cities and to points beyond, has been closed for repairs and renovations since January 2011.

ODOT announced earlier this week that the Willamette Falls Heritage Area Coalition will hold a three-day festival to celebrate the bridge’s re-opening. The Willamette Falls Festival will run from Friday October 12th to Sunday October 14th. The noteworthy part of the event for people who enjoy riding bicycles is that during the festival, the bridge will be closed to auto and truck traffic for the entire weekend! This is a rare chance to hang out on this historic bridge (built in 1923) and view Willamette Falls without the noise and stress of motorized traffic.[Read more…]

Here’s the latest update on ODOT’s Oregon City/West Linn Bridge project…

ODOT has released a survey to find out if shuttle users want them to add a later night service on Saturday and Sunday. ODOT has been operating a shuttle for bikers and walkers since construction began.

Here’s more from ODOT rep Susan Hanson:

“We are trying to decide if there is sufficient need to add later night service on Saturday and Sunday between 8 -11 p.m.[Read more…]

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced today that, starting Monday (5/2) they will increase the frequency of shuttle bus service around the closed Arch Bridge between Oregon City and West Linn.

The more frequent service comes as a response to high demand and the coming summer season, says ODOT spokeswoman Susan Hanson. “Ridership has been growing since January and we felt with the good weather, we’re likely to see even more ridership.”[Read more…]

As seen from the Oregon City side.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is set to close the Oregon City-West Linn Arch Bridge for two years starting next month. The project will renovate the 90-year old bridge but it will also cut off a key (especially for non-motorized traffic) Willamette River crossing.

ODOT has a detour in place for motor vehicles that will take them about one mile north to the I-205 Abernethy bridge. Since non-motorized traffic is illegal on I-205 (it’s a freeway) the closest, bike accessible crossings are the Sellwood Bridge eight miles north or the Canby Ferry, which is about nine miles south. [Read more…]

The Oregon City Bridge
(Photo: Wikipedia)

An ad-hoc working group formed by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has decided that shuttle service is the “most feasible and reasonable” way to maintain non-motorized access between Oregon City and West Linn during an impending two-year closure of the bridge that connects the two cities.

According to a letter from ODOT to members of the group, the agency has budgeted $550,000 for the shuttle service and says they are “commited to providing convenient, easy to use, high quality shuttle service to meet the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians during the closure of the bridge.”
[Read more…]

Oregon City Mayor Alice Norris (left) and
Clackamas County Chair Lynn Peterson learn
about the bridge from an
ODOT engineer.
(Photos: ODOT)

Last Friday, the Oregon Department of Transportation hosted a tour of the Oregon City/West Linn Arch Bridge. The bridge is slated for a major, two-year renovation project and ODOT is faced with having to figure out how to maintain non-motorized access across the river during the closure.

So far, ODOT has not figured out a solution and they are acutely aware that bike advocates, elected officials and other community members want to make sure that adequate, non-motorized access options will be provided for.[Read more…]

Riders on the bridge.
(Photo © J. Maus)

As we reported back in April, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is planning to close the historic Oregon City/West Linn Arch Bridge for two years during a major rehabilitation project.

The problem with the project is that there has not yet emerged a solution for how to detour non-motorized traffic. Cars and trucks can zip around the project and use I-205 to the north, but bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed on that stretch of highway. The closest crossings for bikes and pedestrians would be the Sellwood Bridge (six miles north) or the Canby Ferry (nine miles south) — making neither of them viable options.
[Read more…]