May 23, 2008

Steel Bridge closes to TriMet buses June 1

Bridge closes to all other vehicle traffic June 10

The Steel Bridge will close to all cars, trucks and buses for about three months beginning in June for construction on the I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail project. Over the summer, construction crews will connect new tracks and signals to the existing tracks on the Steel Bridge, as well as do other maintenance work on the bridge.

Advance work June-Aug. 1

• June 1: Seven bus lines that use the bridge will be detoured to the Broadway and Burnside bridges.  Buses will return to the Steel Bridge on Sunday, August 31.
• June 7: The one exception when buses will use the Steel Bridge is during the Grand Floral Parade until 2 p.m.
• June 10: The Steel Bridge closes to all vehicle traffic until Monday, August 25.

Light rail construction Aug. 2-24

• August 2: MAX trains will not cross the Steel Bridge for three weeks for the rail tie-in work. MAX service over the bridge will resume Monday, August 25.
• Construction will occur around the clock during the three-week closure.
• Riders can take a shuttle bus around construction between the Rose Quarter and Old Town/Chinatown MAX station, or walk or bike across the bridge. Walking across the bridge likely will take the same amount of time as using the bus shuttle.
• River vessels requiring lifts of the Steel Bridge upper deck must provide two-hour notice until Monday, August 25, at 6 a.m.