After more than two years of work to repair and upgrade the Burnside Bridge, construction is finally coming to an end. The bridge will be closed to all users from Friday, November 1 at 11 p.m. until as late as Monday, November 4 at 5 a.m. to remove traffic barricades and apply new striping. Alternate routes when the bridge is closed include the Steel and Morrison bridges. TriMet buses will detour to the Steel Bridge while the Burnside is closed.
When the bridge reopens on Monday, bridge users will notice a new traffic layout in addition to the completed repairs.
In addition to completed repairs, the new striping will speed up buses and support safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Multnomah County and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) worked together to develop this new striping plan, which includes a transit-only eastbound lane and a two-foot-wide buffer zone with candlesticks between bike and traffic lanes.
The bridge’s new bus lane runs eastbound on Burnside, starting at W 2nd Ave. and extending across the bridge, benefiting more than 25,000 riders a day who travel on TriMet lines 12, 19, and 20. Bus pavement stencils will be installed in the lane next week. The buffer zone beside bike lanes will provide more comfortable cycling across the bridge. White candlestick delineators will be installed in the next few weeks to more visibly define the bike lane at night and in bad weather.
“I'm very pleased that we're providing bicyclists with a safer and more comfortable route across one of our busiest downtown bridges, said County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson, who coordinated with county staff and bridge users on the improvements.
The bridge’s new striping plan is one of PBOT’s Central City in Motion projects, designed to support job and population growth with transportation improvements in the city’s core. It also supports TriMet’s Making Transit Better effort. PBOT will extend the eastbound bus lane to East 12th in 2020.
“Thanks to our partnership with Multnomah County, the Burnside Bridge will soon be much safer for pedestrians and bicyclists,” said Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees PBOT. “The new eastbound transit-only lane will increase the speed and reliability of bus service. Overall, these improvements will make walking, biking or taking public transit across the Burnside Bridge a more attractive option for thousands of Portlanders.”
“Even though this bus-only lane is in the heart of Portland, it will speed up trips for riders from Tigard, Beaverton, Clackamas and Gresham as well by moving buses around congestion,” said TriMet General Manager Doug Kelsey. “TriMet appreciates our partnership with Multnomah County, PBOT, Metro and others as we work together to make transit better, faster and more reliable throughout the region.”
In the next few months, contractor Hamilton Construction will also install protective fencing along the edge of the Burnside Bridge above Interstate 5. That work will not require lane closures during peak travel hours.
Source: Multnomah County