Home > News & Meetings > News Releases > Steel Bridge reopens to MAX & vehicles Aug. 25; bridge crossing changes for vehicles, bikes & peds

 

August 20, 2008

Steel Bridge reopens to MAX & vehicles Aug. 25; bridge crossing changes for vehicles, bikes & peds

Buses return to bridge on Aug. 31

Light rail construction activities on the Steel Bridge have concluded, opening the bridge to all MAX and vehicle traffic beginning Monday, August 25. Changes to the upper bridge deck will affect crossings for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Crossing changes on the Steel Bridge

  • Cars, buses and trucks will travel only in the outside lanes of the bridge.
  • A new signal at the east entrance to the bridge will regulate the merging of westbound bus traffic with car and truck traffic.
  • A new signal at the bottom of the Glisan Street ramp will control vehicle traffic turning left over new light rail tracks to enter NW 3rd Avenue or continuing westbound on NW Glisan Street.
  • The existing signal where the Naito Parkway ramp merges with the bridge will be removed. Eastbound traffic from NW Everett Street and Naito Parkway will merge to one lane.
  • Vehicles more than 50 feet in length cannot cross the Steel Bridge in the westbound direction. 

Bicyclists and pedestrians

  • With the addition of light rail tracks on the Glisan ramp, the north sidewalk shifted north. The existing narrow sidewalk, along with localized narrowing on the shifted section, requires bicyclists to yield to pedestrians.
  • The optimal route for pedestrians and bicyclists remains the lower deck of the bridge.
  • New signage at the east entrance of the bridge will highlight the existing accessibility route via the Eastbank Esplanade ramp and the lower deck of the bridge.

Bus lines return to Steel Bridge Aug. 31

  • 4-Fessenden
  • 8-NE 15th Ave
  • 10-NE 33rd Ave
  • 33-Fremont
  • 35-Greeley
  • 44-Mocks Crest
  • 77-Broadway/Halsey

Construction work completed

  • Rail tie-in work connecting existing MAX tracks with new tracks for the I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail project.
  • Installation, maintenance and repair of the overhead wires that power MAX.
  • Replacement of existing rail expansion joints and new asphalt paving.
  • Permanent bridge repairs to the city of Portland approach structure on the east side of the bridge.

For project information visit portlandmall.org or call 503-238-RIDE weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.   

About the project

TriMet's fifth MAX line will add 8.3-miles of light rail between Gateway Transit Center and Clackamas Town Center, and to 5th and 6th avenues in downtown Portland between Union Station and Portland State University (PSU). It is the first light rail extension into Clackamas County. It will serve the heart of downtown Portland and the busiest transit destination in the TriMet system - PSU. When it opens in September 2009, it will help revitalize the Mall and poise the region for future rail extensions.