Construction of a new Burnside Bridge may force the closure of the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade for up to 30 months. With the esplanade potentially sidelined for years, some advocates want to reconsider what the Portland public path can be.

Willie Levenson of the Human Access Project is pushing for a remake of the esplanade that would provide “toes in the water” access to the Willamette River. That would be accomplished with terraced steps.

“Terraced seating is a concept that is found regionally, nationally and internationally,” Levenson stated in written comments submitted to Multnomah County. “It is a very elegant way to acknowledge the highs and lows of a river and flood control seasonally, while providing passive recreational opportunities. As the river rises, stairs will be underwater. As the river lowers, more stairs are revealed. This serves as an alternative to riprap armoring and offers better functionality.”

Levenson is presenting the concept as appropriate mitigation for the closure of the esplanade. He’s had several discussions with county and city officials, and submitted his ideas, complete with an architectural rendering and images of precedents from around the world, as a public comment for the Burnside Bridge project’s draft environmental impact statement.

Levenson said it’s too early to discuss his ideas for changes to the esplanade, and declined to discuss the proposal in detail.

“This is something we are doing for fun,” he said. “We know it’s a long shot, but you just never know. We are looking for the right engineer and surveyor to join our volunteer team.”

But in addition to the public comments he submitted to Multnomah County, Levenson has shopped his proposal widely to local government officials and other stakeholders such as the Central Eastside Industrial Council.

“We ran this by (Bureau of Environmental Services staffers); they love the plan,” Levenson said during a CEIC meeting in March. “(Parks & Recreation) loves the plan. We are getting nothing but support for this idea.”

The idea to enhance the 1.5-mile pathway comes as it is being squeezed by major road and bridge projects. The esplanade, a key north-south connection for bicycle commuters and recreational users, sits among key transportation infrastructure, hemmed in by Interstate 5, bridges to the north and south and the river itself.

The county’s drive to build a new Burnside Bridge is expected to lead to construction beginning in 2025. The esplanade, which passes directly underneath the bridge, could close and reopen throughout the construction timeline.

“It could be several different periods,” said Mike Pullen, spokesman for Multnomah County. “We know that’s way too long for people who use the esplanade, so we’re trying to reduce that as much as we can, but we also need to keep workers safe and the public safe.”

The esplanade will need to be closed when the existing span is removed, and again at certain points when the new bridge is installed, Pullen said.

Completed in 2001, the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade is used for 1,500 bike trips and 1,550 pedestrian trips daily, according to the county. Those numbers are expected to rise to 2,650 for bikes and 2,700 for pedestrians by 2045.

In the two decades since, the pathway has become a much-loved part of Portland’s transportation infrastructure. It is used by bicyclist and pedestrian commuters as well as downtown workers looking for exercise. On Monday, the path was filled with walkers, runners, bicyclists, people on scooters and one worker painting over graffiti.

David Stein, a Portland bicycle advocate, said he’s urged county officials to minimize closures and provide more direct detours.

“Tłó±đ esplanade represents a really high-quality, low-stress bikeway and walkway, and it’s being replaced by a significantly more circuitous route that’s higher stress,” said Stein, who serves as chairman of the Transportation Bureau’s Bicycle Advisory Committee but was speaking as an individual.

Stein said he was disappointed with the planned disruptions to the esplanade, particularly compared to the minimal closures expected for the adjacent interstate.

“It really puts into contrast the ease of which it’s possible to deprioritize active modes of transportation,” he said.

The esplanade is owned by the city of Portland and overseen by Portland Parks & Recreation, with the Bureau of Transportation and other city bureaus playing significant roles.

It’s unclear at this point if county and city officials will buy in to Levenson’s concept. He did not advance a cost estimate in his public comments.

“It’s way beyond what we were planning in terms of scale, but it’s an interesting concept,” Pullen said of Levenson’s proposal.

Portland Parks & Recreation isn’t planning to remake the esplanade at this time, spokesman Mark Ross stated in an email.

“Portland Parks & Recreation doesn’t have any pending plans for major work along the esplanade,” he stated. “We are working closely with Multnomah County as they plan for Burnside Bridge work and ODOT … on their respective plans in the area. We appreciate the Human Access Project’s continued advocacy.”

Parks & Recreation has a degree of leverage to demand mitigation for any impacts to the esplanade. A provision in the federal Department of Transportation Act requires construction to avoid impacts to parks, and to mitigate any impacts that cannot be avoided. In the case of the recent Sellwood Bridge project, for example, Multnomah County mitigated impacts by paying for new trees to be planted at the bridge’s west end.

It’s unclear what mitigation will be required for the Burnside Bridge project.

“Before we construct the new bridge, we will work out these details with Portland Parks & Recreation,” Pullen said.

The county is also focused on improving connections between the proposed Burnside Bridge replacement and the esplanade. For now, there’s one staircase – an access point that is regarded as inadequate for disabled persons and nonmotorized vehicles.

“Any connection that is built between a new bridge and the esplanade will need support from the city in terms of approval,” Pullen said. “Who’s going to pay for it isn’t really known. The city is a huge player.”

The esplanade has survived other challenges. Last year, local outcry fended off a roadway widening proposed by the Oregon Department of Transportation that would have resulted in a larger I-5 looming over the esplanade.

The widening plan sparked protests by the city of Portland and citizens, who flooded ODOT with critical comments. In response, ODOT redesigned the project last year to eliminate construction in the Willamette River and the highway encroachment over the esplanade. Instead, ODOT plans to re-stripe I-5 in both directions, shift the highway median to the east and narrow the existing shoulders, according to the agency’s revised environmental assessment for the project.

ODOT considers the problem solved.

“We do not anticipate any impacts to the esplanade,” ODOT spokeswoman April de Leon-Galloway stated in an email.

The post Reconsidering the Eastbank Esplanade appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The second annual Dropbox Derby, Portland’s unique design-build challenge, will take place on Labor Day along the Eastbank Esplanade festival lots between Southeast Madison and Salmon streets. There, 20 teams of builders, artists and designers will compete to assemble unique creations made of salvaged materials.

Teams will be given a theme only 24 hours before the competition as well as a list of salvaged materials they must use in their creations. Then, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 3, in front of spectators, teams will race the clock to complete their projects.

Judging will follow, and awards will be given. Then a silent auction will take place.

“We’re very excited that the proceeds from this year’s auction will go to the Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., an organization dedicated to women in the trades,” Stephen Reichard of Lovett Deconstruction stated in a press release. “Tłó±đ Dropbox Derby celebrates sustainability and design in a friendly, fun and quintessentially Portland atmosphere.”

Lovett Deconstruction is hosting the free and family-friendly event. Los Palmeros, Ukeladies PDX and the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers will provide live music, and Spicy Spoon, Aybla Mediterranean Grill and 50 Licks Ice Cream will provide food. Activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit or .

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Beam Development will take the lead in developing three vacant blocks in the Central Eastside Industrial District.

Prosper Portland officials said in a board meeting Wednesday that Beam was the successful respondent to a request for proposals that was issued in December. Prosper Portland and Beam will negotiate a memorandum of understanding and a disposition and development agreement for work on the 2.19-acre site.

All three blocks’ western portions are owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation and are not part of the project.

Beam, an experienced developer in the fast-changing industrial neighborhood, assembled a team including Colas Construction, Mackenzie and Hacker. The proposal was chosen from among five responses. Of those, four were from local firms, said Lisa Abuaf, Prosper Portland’s development manager.

Beam principal Jonathan Malsin said he wants to better link Southeast Water Avenue with the Eastbank Esplanade on the Willamette River.

“Tłó±đ ODOT blocks really right now (are) a barrier to the esplanade, so this is really an opportunity to work with our architects and our landscape designers to actually pull people down to the esplanade, which is an amazing public access point or public amenity,” he said.

The project is likely to include office space and structural parking, along with a small amount of retail space, Malsin said.

The blocks are along Water Avenue between Taylor and Madison streets. The developable parcels are 34,809 square feet, 34,862 square feet and 25,601 square feet, respectively.

The blocks are zoned for industrial office use. The zoning, part of the Central City 2035 plan, limits retail uses to no more than 5,000 square feet on each site.

The Central Eastside has exploded with office projects recently. Malsin said part of his pitch to Prosper Portland was Beam’s willingness to work with small tenants.

“We’re really open to flexible floor plans that can break down to really granular rent roles that allow small businesses an opportunity to come into our spaces,” Malsin said. “We’re not singularly focused on credit tenants that have established high levels of credit that really kind of precludes a lot of local entrepreneurs from getting into the Central Eastside. And that strategy’s been really successful for us. Our portfolio’s full.”

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