Installation is almost complete!

Barbara Walker Crossing, a pedestrian bridge that connects the Wildwood Trail between Forest Park and Washington Park over West Burnside.

There’s a new bridge in town! Last weekend, the Portland Parks Foundation erected the Barbara Walker Crossing, the beautiful new pedestrian bridge over West Burnside designed by local artist, Ed Carpenter. Although you can enjoy the view as you drive on Burnside, the bridge is not open to the public yet. R&H is working hard to finish the final pieces of installation and make the trails and bridge safe for pedestrian access by the end of next week.

Please obey the construction signs and do not attempt to access the trail or the crossing until it is officially open. This is still an active work zone. Additionally, do not park in the gravel shoulder along West Burnside. Vehicles are not allowed to park here.

On October 27, please join the Portland Parks Foundation as we celebrate the 100’s of donors and partners who made it this bridge possible. We’re throwing a Burnside street party for YOU! There will be a parade, an ALL ages dash up Burnside and a dedication performance by local artists. Don’t miss it! Find our more here.

Images provided by Diego Diaz Photography.

Details for Temporary Closure of West Burnside

PRESS RELEASE
September 16, 2019
Contact: Jessica Green, Portland Parks Foundation, jgreen@portlandpf.org, 503-445-0994

 Barbara Walker Crossing over Burnside:  Temporary West Burnside Closure Ahead

 Bridge installation to close West Burnside October 11 – October 14, 2019

(PORTLAND, OR) - The Portland Parks Foundation (PPF) will be temporarily closing a portion of West Burnside Road to install the Barbara Walker Crossing, a new pedestrian bridge over West Burnside. The Barbara Walker Crossing is a project in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), and Metro.

The steel section of the bridge is currently being fabricated offsite at Supreme Steel’s NE Portland shop and will be transported to the crossing site and craned into place. In order to do this, PPF will temporarily close West Burnside in both directions between NW Hermosa Blvd and NW Barnes Road from 7pm on Friday, October 11 until 4am on Monday, October 14. West Burnside will also temporarily be reduced to two lanes for 500 feet at the location of the bridge installation between October 7 and October 11.

WHAT: West Burnside Road will be temporarily closed for construction of the Barbara Walker Crossing, a new pedestrian bridge.
WHERE: West Burnside will be closed to traffic between NW Hermosa Blvd and NW Barnes Rd, allowing local access to all side streets connecting to Burnside on either side of the closure. For safety, no east or westbound traffic through the work zone will be permitted. Click here for a detour driving map.
WHEN: Work begins at 7pm on October 11 with West Burnside reopening at 4am on October 14.
PROJECT PAGE: barbarawalkercrossing.org

“We thank the community for its patience with the road closure while we lift the Barbara Walker Crossing into place,” says Randy Gragg, executive director of the Portland Parks Foundation. “The Wildwood Trail’s crossing of West Burnside has long been a disaster waiting to happen for runners and hikers. We’re trading a weekend of inconvenience for the safety of the 80,000 people who use the Wildwood Trail every year.”

Project work will include:

• Transporting the bridge to the site

• Welding pieces of the bridge together

• Craning the bridge into place

Please note that during this temporary closure of Burnside, TriMet’s Bus 20 will experience service disruptions. Please check TriMet’s website for updated service advisories over the weekend. Additionally, the sections of the Wildwood Trail near the construction site will remain closed during this time and until the bridge is open to the public later this fall. Click here for a trail closure map.

Background
The Portland Parks Foundation has led the public/private partnership to build the Barbara Walker Crossing project, working with Portland Parks & Recreation, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Metro.

PPF conducted a successful capital campaign that raised two-thirds of the bridge’s $3.2 million cost, engaging more than 900 individual contributors. “Every single donor has the Foundation’s thanks for making the project a reality,” Gragg says. “It simply would not have happened without the community’s commitment and generosity.”

$850,000 – or one third – of the Barbara Walker Crossing is funded by the City of Portland ($500K from the General Fund and $350K in PBOT System Development Charges (SDCs), which are fees from new construction, not tax dollars). Metro’s 2014 Open Space Bond measure is contributing $200K. Portland Parks & Recreation also provided significant in-kind contributions to the project through $450K in Parks SDCs to the project to cover the Bureau’s project management costs.

The Crossing is named for the late Barbara Walker, one of Portland’s most ardent champions of trails and connecting parks and open spaces. Over four decades she played pivotal roles in creating amenities like Marquam Nature Park, the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade and the 40-Mile Loop Trust. 

Working with the bridge’s designer, Ed Carpenter, R&H Construction and KPFF Consulting Engineers have developed the Barbara Walker Crossing to be built quickly and with minimal impact. The main steel structure will be fabricated off-site then lifted into place, reducing the need for on-site work.

“Portlanders love trails and they love bridges,” says Gragg. “Ed Carpenter’s thoughtful design connects two of our great civic urban traditions to make an experience hikers, runners, and drivers can love together.” 

About Portland Parks Foundation
The Portland Parks Foundation is dedicated to connecting Portlanders to nature and to each other through the city’s parks, public spaces, and natural areas. We lead, develop partnerships, and raise money to fund new facilities, enhance existing ones, and support programs to put our parks system within reach of all. We are the chief philanthropic partner of Portland Parks & Recreation.

Questions about the project? Please go to the Barbara Walker Crossing construction page or contact Portland Parks Foundation’s Operations and Program Officer, Jessica Green at jgreen@portlandpf.org.

About the Foundation:
Website: www.portlandpf.org
Crossing email list: sign up here
Facebook: PortlandParksFoundation

About traffic closures:
Twitter: @PBOTinfo
Facebook: PBOTinfo
Email updates: sign up here 

TriMet Service Alerts

Here are the latest photos from Ed Carpenter’s visit to the steel fabrication site last week. Things are moving along!

Revised Burnside Temporary Closure Date

We've had a hiccup in our construction schedule with the steel fabricator. As a result, we are delaying the September 13-16 bridge erection until October 11-14. This means that the temporary closure of West Burnside Road between NW Hermosa Blvd and NW Barnes Road is now scheduled to take place from 7pm on Friday, October 11, to 4am on Monday, October 14. As we mentioned in the earlier update, we will not be blocking any local access to the streets along Burnside.

As we get closer to the closure date we will send out complete details of the closure including a detour route. At this time, we wanted to inform you about the revised date and send some more pictures from the steel fabrication shop, Supreme Steel, and photos from the installation of the donor circle which is taking place this week at the site. Check them out below! Photos of steel fabrication courtesy of Naim Hasan Photography.

Upcoming Closure Dates

Things might be quiet out there on the sides of West Burnside, but there is plenty of action taking place at Supreme Steel's shop where the steel sections of the bridge are currently being fabricated. Over the next few weeks, Supreme Steel will complete fabrication. When done, these sections will be relocated from the shop in NE Portland to West Burnside and craned into place. During this time, Burnside will be closed between NW Hermosa Blvd and NW Barnes Rd.

The scheduled closure for this section of Burnside is from 7pm on Friday, September 13 to 4am on Monday, September 16. Please note that we will not be blocking any local access to the streets along Burnside. The full closure will be between Hermosa and Barnes.

We will send out complete details of the closure within the next week. At this time, we wanted to inform you about the date and send some pictures from the steel fabrication shop.

Thank you again for your support and patience as we near the finish line of the Barbara Walker Crossing.

We have a Pier

It’s been an exciting month for the Barbara Walker Crossing. Things are really taking shape. Concrete has been poured for the north and south abutments and for the pier on the south side. As you drive (very slowly) passed the site, you will now see the pier sticking up on the south side of Burnside.

Thank you to everyone on the road for your cautious driving and bearing with us this summer with the traffic alterations.

Thank you trail users for finding other beautiful trails to discover while this small portion of the Wildwood Trail is closed.

If you are a member of the trail hiking or trail running community, please help spread the word that this portion of the trail is CLOSED with NO DETOUR until the opening of the bridge this fall. Trespassing on the site is dangerous and costing the project (your dollars), so please discourage people you know from planning to walk/run through the site. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy Washington Park and Forest Park’s trail system!  Please refer to this map for details on trail closure.

Site Mobilization is Complete & Construction Begins

If you’re driving on West Burnside or running or walking the Wildwood Trail, prepare to be frustrated—by some good news: the Barbara Walker Crossing is taking shape! 

Yes, all summer there will be some Burnside lane closures, along with the full closure of a Wildwood Trail section. But we know you agree: a little pain is worth the gain of a safe and beautiful new crossing for the 80,000 yearly users of the Wildwood Trail! 

Led by Shane Bliss and Chuck Roberts, our great team from R&H Construction has been digging out the hillside and installing micro-piles for the bridge’s south abutment and pouring footings for its single pillar. In the coming weeks, Supreme Steel will begin welding the sections of the curving steel span on Swan Island. Root for continued good weather. If all goes smoothly, we’ll crane the bridge into place in August and open the bridge mid-fall. 

SAFETY UPDATE:
Please do not go around the barriers to the Wildwood Trail. This is an active construction site. Besides risking injury or even delays to the project, it’s illegal. There are plenty of other ways to enjoy Washington Park and Forest Park’s trail system!

Crossing construction begins March 25; parts of Wildwood Trail trail closed for duration

Utility work on West Burnside, in preparation for construction of the Barbara Walker Crossing.

On Monday, March 25, construction of the the highly anticipated Barbara Walker Crossing will begin. If you have driven over West Burnside this week, you’ll notice that utility work is already underway. Low voltage lines are being relocated underground. Once the crossing is in place, high voltage lines will be going above it.

As construction begins, parts of the Wildwood Trail will close starting on March 25, to the south of Burnside for about 1,000 feet within Hoyt Arboretum, and north of Burnside to Verde Vista Trail (towards Pittock Mansion). The trail closures will be in place for the duration of construction. Check our sidebar for a map outlining the trail closure.

The Barbara Walker Crossing is scheduled for completion by Fall 2019.

Read more about this stage of the project in our latest press release here

Trail Closure Details during the Barbara Walker Crossing Project's Construction Phase

Construction for the Barbara Walker Crossing is scheduled to begin at the end of March 2019. The project is expected to be complete by September 2019. This highly-anticipated project will close Forest Park’s Wildwood Trail south of Burnside for about 1000 feet, and north of Burnside to Pittock Mansion. See the latest press release and the map below for details.