Photo: PBOT
After over a year of construction, the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Congressman Earl Blumenauer Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge is ready for installation. The approximately 800,000 lb. and 400-foot-long bridge will be lifted and rolled into place over Sullivan’s Gulch the weekend of July 9. The bridge will then be attached to a temporary tower between the I-84 freeway and railroad tracks. Following the initial bridge installation, crews will connect the bridge to the north landing. When complete, the Blumenauer Bridge will connect pedestrians and people biking on NE 7th Avenue between two of Portland’s fastest growing neighborhoods—Lloyd and the Central Eastside—and beyond. In the future it will also serve as an important link for Portland’s Green Loop.
Both eastbound and westbound I-84 will be closed around the clock from 10 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12.
People driving should expect delays and use alternate routes or ways of getting around, such as walking, biking, or taking transit.
I-84 eastbound
All I-84 eastbound lanes will close from I-5 to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, including:
- The ramps to I-84 from northbound and southbound I-5.
- The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast Grand Avenue.
- The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast 16th Avenue.
The eastbound on-ramp from Cesar Chavez Boulevard will remain open. On-ramps east of Cesar Chavez Boulevard will also remain open.
I-84 westbound
All I-84 westbound lanes will close at I-205 including:
- The ramps from northbound and southbound I-205.
- The on-ramp from Northeast Halsey Street, near 82nd Avenue.
- The on-ramp from Northeast Glisan Street, near 58th Avenue
- The on-ramp from Northeast Sandy Boulevard.
- The on-ramp from Northeast 33rd Avenue.
- The ramps to northbound and southbound I-5.
When it opens in early 2022, the bridge will be seismically resilient and serve as a backup route for emergency vehicles over I-84 in the event of an earthquake. In addition to the bridge, the project includes two new public plazas and landings on the north and south sides of the bridge. The bridge’s iconic arch design was designed by the Portland-based firm KPFF Consulting Engineers and the landing plazas were designed by ZGF Architects.
Funding for the project comes from the Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Area and from Transportation System Development Charges (TSDCs), which are fees paid by development to mitigate the impact of new users of the transportation system. Other funding sources include a commitment from the nonprofit transportation management association Go Lloyd and the Central Eastside Industrial Council.
In January 2019, PBOT retained HP Civil Inc., an Oregon-based construction company, as general contractor for the project. The project includes 32% participation from Disadvantaged, Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, Emerging Small Businesses, or Service Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises (D/M/W/ESB/SDVBE) including an equity partner, West Side Iron, a minority-owned Oregon business responsible for delivering and assembling the bridge structure. The estimated construction cost is $13.7 million.
Source: Portland Bureau of Transportation