As crews continue to work on the Blumenauer Bridge project in Portland, preparation is under way to install the main span across Interstate 84 in February – a major construction move that will require closure of the highway for a full weekend.

The installation will be a milestone for the effort to build the bicycle and pedestrian bridge at Northeast Seventh Avenue. Once the span is in place, about six months of additional work will be necessary to finish the project, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

The $13.7 million bridge will provide a key north-south connection for Northeast Portland, city officials said.

“Lloyd and the Central Eastside are two of our fastest-growing neighborhoods,” PBOT spokeswoman Hannah Schafer said. “Tłó±đre are a lot of folks who want to come from Northeast to Southeast or downtown, and this will provide an overpass to do that.”

Blumenauer Bridge, known previously in planning as Sullivan’s Crossing, will extend 475 feet and span 24 feet in width. The bridge will have a 14-foot-wide path for two-way bicycle traffic, and a 10-foot-wide path for pedestrians.

KPFF designed the tied-arch span structure. HP Civil Inc., based in Stayton, is serving as construction manager-general contractor. West Side Iron Inc. of Springfield, a state-certified minority business enterprise, is delivering and assembling the bridge structure.

Overall, the project has more than 30 percent participation from woman-owned, minority-owned or disadvantaged businesses, Schafer said.

The project team has encountered a number of obstacles. Conduit has been tough to come by, said Trey Senatore, a PBOT public works inspector.

“We’ve had huge delays in getting materials,” he said.

Social distancing required by the state’s response to the pandemic has also slowed work. Although the guidelines are critical, Senatore said, “it’s hard to work as efficiently as you can with those guidelines in place.”

Schafer said she was not aware of any positive COVID-19 tests among project workers.

Staging and storage have also proved tough on the tight site, PBOT officials said.

Installation of the span will mark an important moment for the project team. A work bridge is being built from the north side. A gantry crane will be used to slowly move the span into place.

A date for the I-84 closure has not been set, but PBOT officials are tentatively targeting a weekend in mid-February. Both lanes of the interstate will be closed from Friday night to Monday morning to minimize disruptions to commuters.

Blumenauer Bridge, named for Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, a well-known bicycling advocate, is being constructed at the same time as Flanders Crossing, another bridge that will be off-limits to motor vehicles. Flanders Crossing is shorter and spans Interstate 405 in West Portland. The project teams are separate, with Wildish Standard Paving Co. leading construction of Flanders Crossing.

Along with Tilikum Crossing, the car-free bridges further Portland’s push to connect residents to workplaces without vehicle commuting. Blumenauer Bridge has been embraced by bike advocates.

“It’s extremely valuable as a connection because we’ve really missed out on some chances to put connections on the MLK-Grand couplet,” said Jonathan Maus, editor and publisher of Bike Portland, a popular news website for transportation issues. “We really need better north-south connections, and connecting it on (Northeast Seventh Avenue) is great.”

The bridge will form a link of the Green Loop, the city’s concept for a route through central Portland that prioritizes bicyclists and pedestrians on both sides of the Willamette River.

A screen will block any objects from being thrown off the bridge, but there will be spaces for bridge users to take photos to the west, where the bridge will have striking views of downtown and the West Hills.

PBOT project manager Dan Layden praised the bridge’s “landmark design.”

“It will be one of those things that Portland is known for,” he said.

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The Portland Design Commission on Thursday applauded the proposed design of a bridge to connect Lloyd and the Central Eastside Industrial District across Interstate 84, and serve only bicyclists and pedestrians.

The bridge, to be named after U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, will connect the two neighborhoods at Seventh Avenue. With an arched design extending north to south, white painted steel and lights underneath, the bridge is intended to become a local icon.

The design calls for a 24-foot-wide path, with 10 feet allotted for pedestrians and 14 for cyclists. The north and south landings would contain spaces to rest and gather, with green space and boulder-like seating that conveys a natural feel. Each end would have more artistic, slender lights mounted to poles. The south side would feature a tree-like design.

Developers said the bridge will need to be able to accommodate emergency vehicles, but trees, benches and curbs might be used to ensure people understand the structure is designed specifically for foot and bike traffic. Those same features will be used to make a clear separation between pedestrian and cyclist paths.

Commissioners were largely in favor of the proposal, with Chairwoman Julie Livingston calling it an “elegant structure” and a “really happy design result.” Praise in particular was given to the south landing, which commissioners said would foster a sense of community in the area.

Limited criticism was given to plans for the north landing, which would be much smaller than its counterpart and have less space for users to relax. Also on the north end, commissioners requested a more transparent demarcation between space for cyclists and pedestrians.

The bridge is expected to cost between $9 million and $13 million, and open by December 2020.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly says she plans to name a new bike and pedestrian-only bridge spanning Interstate 84 after U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Eudaly, the city’s transportation commissioner, made the announcement Thursday night at the nonprofit Classroom Law Project’s annual dinner where she referred to him as “our bike champion in Congress.”

Blumenauer said later the possibility of the name would be a great honor.

The $13 million bike and pedestrian bridge expected to break ground in August has been known through the design and planning stages as Sullivan’s Crossing. Officials said it’s possible Sullivan’s Crossing remains part of the name.

The bridge will connect the Central Eastside Industrial and Lloyd districts at Seventh Avenue, offering a new connection for pedestrians and cyclists between the close-in Northeast and Southeast neighborhoods.

It’s expected to open by December 2020.

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation has issued a request for proposals for construction manager-general contractor services for construction of Sullivan’s Crossing.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting will take place Sept. 25 at 9 a.m. at the Congress Center, 1001 S.W. Fifth Ave., Room 513. Solicitation documents are available at: . Questions about this solicitation can be emailed to Mahn Saechao at Mahn.Saechao@portlandoregon.gov.

The preliminary design for Sullivan’s Crossing from ZGF Architects and KPFF Consulting Engineers calls for a 24-foot-wide tied-arch bridge with space for bicyclists and pedestrians only. However, drivers of emergency vehicles will be able to cross the bridge, if necessary.

Plans call for the bridge to connect the intersection of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Lloyd Boulevard on the north side with the intersection of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Flanders Street on the south side.

Sullivan’s Crossing will be built to contemporary seismic standards. It’s expected to be able to survive a sizable earthquake.

The $13 million project is being funded by system development charges and $2 million from Prosper Portland. Construction is expected to begin in July 2019 and finish in 2020.

Proposals are due by 4 p.m. on Oct. 12.

More information is available .

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The Portland Bureau of Transportation is moving forward with plans for a 470-foot-long bridge spanning Interstate 84 to aid pedestrians and bicyclists.

A preliminary design for Sullivan’s Crossing calls for a tied-arch bridge that would be 24 feet wide, with space only for bicyclists and pedestrians. Motor vehicles would not be allowed on the bridge in normal circumstances.

The bridge is intended to fulfill a purpose that adjacent streets do not: nonmotorized transportation, according to PBOT project manager Dan Layden. Two nearby thoroughfares, Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, don’t have bike lanes at all, and present challenges for pedestrians.

“Tłó±đy don’t work at all for bikes,” Layden said. “It’s a pretty uncomfortable environment to walk in. As (the Lloyd District) develops, and the Central Eastside develops, there’s more demand for bicycle and pedestrian connections.”

Plans call for the bridge to connect Northeast Seventh Avenue and Lloyd Street on the north to Seventh and Flanders Street on the south.

The bridge’s design is being driven in part by the need for substantial clear heights over Interstate 84 and Union Pacific railroad tracks. PBOT is also prohibited from placing any bridge supports in Oregon Department of Transportation’s right-of-way along I-84, which means building nothing on the shoulder or the median of the interstate, or on the south hillside.

“Tłó±đ site constraints – the geography and the right-of-way situation – were impactful in the design,” said Stephen Whittington, a KPFF structural engineer.

The $13 million project is being funded by system development charges and a $2 million contribution from Prosper Portland. Construction is expected to begin in July 2019, with completion in 2020.

Sullivan’s Crossing will be built to contemporary seismic standards and is expected to be able to survive a major earthquake. The bridge is also designed to be used by emergency vehicles if necessary.

Unlike Tilikum Crossing – a 1,720-foot-long span over the Willamette River, Sullivan’s Crossing will not accommodate light rail and buses. The design team worked to create a design that was distinct from Tilikum Crossing.

“We wanted to be careful we didn’t replicate that or create a mini version of it,” Whittington said.

Members of the Portland Design Commission praised the bridge design at a briefing last week.

“It’s really quite beautiful,” Commissioner Tad Savinar said.

It’s a “neat and elegant asymmetrical design,” Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston said. But the north end “aesthetically looks a little underdone,” she added. “It seems a little too slender, and yet not quite slender enough. It’s a visual balance issue with the bridge.”

In addition to KPFF, Architectural Applications and ZGF Architects are on the design team. John Breshears, president of Architectural Applications, said the bridge deck could be lit with recessed fixtures, with a possible tree-like lighting structure installed on the south end.

ZGF is on board to help integrate the bridge into the surrounding urban infrastructure. Sullivan’s Crossing is considered part of the Green Loop – a “linear park” that would link downtown and the Central Eastside with bicyclist- and pedestrian-friendly connections.

“Tłó±đse landings all become an episode for the Green Loop,” said Trent Thelen, an associate partner at ZGF.

The project team is also deciding between white paint and a weathered steel look for the bridge. Design commissioners said they prefer white paint.

An open house to learn more about the project will take place Monday, from 4-6 p.m., at Metro Regional Center, at 600 N.E. Grand Ave.

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KPFF Consulting Engineers last week was awarded a $2.3 million contract by the city of Portland to design the , which will provide pedestrians and cyclists an easier way to cross Interstate 84 and Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

Design costs are being paid for by the transportation development fund and Prosper Portland.

“Tłó±đ Lloyd District (Transportation Management Association) has been advocating for this for a long time,” said Dan Layden, project manager for the city of Portland. “We were able to find some funds to get it done.”

The project, which is expected to produce a bridge extending between 370 and 420 feet, is in the early design stage. The exact alignment is still being studied, but it will likely end up starting at Northeast Seventh Avenue on the north side of I-84 and end at either Northeast Seventh or Eighth avenues on the south side.

Currently, the closest options in the area for pedestrians or bicyclists are crossings at Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Narrow sidewalks and streetcar tracks pose challenges at both crossings. The closest street with bike lanes is Northeast 12th Avenue.

The bridge will also provide improvements to the intersection of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Lloyd Boulevard.

The bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic, but allow access for emergency vehicles. The span is also a key element of the Green Loop that will eventually provide walking and cycling options around the central city and the Willamette River.

Alternative analysis of the project will continue through the fall, and more detailed design will begin in January 2018. Design is expected to be completed in early 2019. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2019 and last through summer 2020.

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