Transit Bridge Rises in Portland

A new $135m bridge over the Willamette River will include designated lanes for pedestrians, bikes, and public transit vehicles, but not private cars.

1 minute read

November 9, 2010, 11:00 AM PST

By Lynn Vande Stouwe


Officials originally contemplated adding space for cars, but found the higher price tag, cumbersome federal design standards and projected traffic impacts forbidding, according to Michael Burnham. The structure is a key component of a 7-mile light rail extension and will be the first of its kind in the U.S. Completion is expected for 2015.

It may surprise some that even in transit-friendly Portland, the project has outspoken critics, writes Burnham:

"San Francisco-based architect Donald McDonald's bridge, more than 1,700 feet long, will feature two 181-foot-tall towers that anchor cables that rise from the river like a sea monster's fins...The Oregonian newspaper dubbed the bridge 'Godzilla on the Willamette' and charged it would 'severely limit' residential development on both sides of the river."

Monday, November 8, 2010 in Next American City

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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