Looking south on Naito with Steel Bridge on the left and NW Glisan/1st/Flanders on the right. Approximate location of the new crossing is marked in orange. (Note that the ramp from Naito on the right is no longer open.)
I have some really good news: the Portland Bureau of Transportation finally has a plan and funding to close one of the most nagging gaps in our bike network.
At the May 9th meeting of the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC), one of the members asked a PBOT staffer if there was an update on the crossing of NW Naito Parkway at the Steel Bridge and NW Glisan. My ears perked up because PBOT has been actively working on a fix here since at least 2009. Much to my excitement the staffer replied, “Yes there is some goods on that one.” Turns out a project has been confirmed by all parties, funding has been secured, and construction is scheduled.
This is a huge deal! The bike path on the Steel Bridge that connects to the Espanade/Interstate Avenue and Waterfront Park is one of the most important bikeways in the city. And it has become even more important in recent years as PBOT has vastly improved the bikeway on NW Naito Parkway (the glaring bike lane gap near the Steel Bridge was finally closed in 2016). And in 2021, PBOT opened the Ned Flanders Crossing and has just recently put the finishing touches on the NW Flanders neighborhood greenway that connects to it.
Once this new crossing is built, we’ll have a quality bikeway from the Eastbank Esplanade to NW 23rd.
Northbound view.
People trying to cross today. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
PBOT plan drawing.
Plans overlayed with existing conditions.The problem is there’s no way to connect the new bridge and greenway on Flanders directly to the Steel Bridge. The big sticking point with this project has always been its proximity to a heavy railroad crossing used by Union Pacific Railroad. Dealing with railroads is always cumbersome. It also meant that ODOT’s Rail Division had so sign off on any plans. And the Old Town Neighborhood Association was also in the mix because they’ve wanted a “quiet zone” at this crossing for years. The nearby railroad crossing meant that anything PBOT did with a new crossing had to pass muster with Union Pacific and ODOT and the project had to include upgrades to the tracks, signals, surrounding signage, and so on.
“In the last year-and-a-half, we’ve made more progress than the last 10 years.”
Portlanders have wanted a new crossing here since at least 2001 when conversations first started about building a skate park at this location (a project that is still being talked about).
Well it appears that all the pieces have finally come together. “In the last year-and-a-half, we’ve made more progress than the last 10 years,” PBOT Project Manager Gabe Graff shared at the BAC meeting. Graff said Old Town neighborhood advocates deserve a lot of credit for lobbying state representatives and other decision makers and ultimately breaking the bureaucratic logjam. The final piece was funding and ODOT has stepped up with $2.4 million in the current Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
According to PBOT plan drawings shared with BikePortland (PDF), the new crossing will begin on the east side of Naito 10-20 yards north of where the current curb ramp from path to the bike lane is now. The 10-foot wide crossing will likely have green and white stripes (to help separate biker and walkers) and it will connect to NW 1st Avenue right near the corner it creates with NW Glisan. Other changes to the bike path near the crossing will be made to ensure safe sight lines.
Right now PBOT, ODOT and Union Pacific are ironing out an intergovernmental agreement (IGA). Construction on the new crossing is scheduled to begin in 2025.
