Burnside Bridge Earthquake Readiness Project

[Jakz]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Presentation [7 MB] to the Design and Historic Landmarks Commissions.

I like the renderings for the east span, particularly the inverted Y and the swoosh. But *something* has to be done with the west span if the bridge is going to avoid looking like three different bridge concepts mashed together. Ideally something similar to the east span at a smaller scale. For example the west span could be smaller swoosh arch with the high point to the east like the east span. 10-second Bluebeam version:

https://postimg.cc/F79qF92z

I really think the decision to use girders for the west span was premature. A few reasons:
1. The west piers have been moved up to the waterfront path (they were originally at Naito). This means any visual impacts to the Old Town historic structures are much reduced.
2. Concerns about the Portland sign were overblown. The bike/ped path will be *outside* the superstructure (like the Broadway bridge), so the sign will be visible to bikers and pedestrians (and available for photos) regardless of the superstructure type.
3. The savings are not a lot. 2-5 percent of the project budget.

[maccoinnich]

Video of a recent presentation to the Urban Design Panel.

[maccoinnich]

Multnomah County lets public vote on what new Burnside Bridge will look like



PORTLAND, Ore. — Multnomah County wants to know what you want the new Burnside Bridge to look like.

The famous bridge is being redesigned to withstand the "Big One," the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

Project stats at a glance via MultCo:

• The project will provide the first seismically resilient crossing in downtown Portland that will be immediately usable after a major earthquake. The new Burnside Bridge will support emergency relief efforts, reunite families, connect people to critical services and serve an instrumental role in a faster, more efficient economic recovery for the region and state.
• The new bridge will have 17-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian paths on each side of the bridge, with crash-worthy barriers separating motorized vehicles from active transportation users. This barrier will significantly increase safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities.
• There will be improved transit facilities, including upgrades to nearby bus stops and retention of the eastbound bus-only lane. The new bridge will also be built to accommodate a future Portland Streetcar line.

...continues at KATU.

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

...continues at KATU.

I wasn’t tracking they were closing the bridge for 5 years. I guess it makes sense that staged construction might be complicated here. That a busy bridge to close for that long!

[maccoinnich]

Design Advice Notice

[Jakz]

Just spitballing here, but the 5-year closure of the bridge will provide a good opportunity for re-allocating space on W Burnside. Before I changed jobs, I used to walk the street almost every day between W 20th and W 6th. It always struck me as a street with so much potential that is almost entirely wasted on cars. It could be an absolutely iconic main street for the city.

A proposal: Turn W Burnside into a transit mall (two lanes, transit only) between 6th and 18th. W Burnside carries very little through-traffic. Most WB traffic on the bridge is headed for destinations downtown or in the Pearl/NW neighborhoods. 4th, 6th, and the Glisan/Everett couplet can be used, as they currently are, to access these destinations. Ditto for EB traffic from the West Hills. This traffic can use the Alder/Washington and Glisan/Everett couplets to reach destinations in downtown and the Pearl respectively (a WB lane would need to be added on Alder between 13th and 19th, a simple reconfiguration).

The current W Burnside roadway is 43 feet wide. A 20 foot transitway with 5 foot wide bike lanes on each side would allow for 6.5 foot curb extensions on each side. This would provide space for street trees and restaurant tables.

Two nice-to-have additions, if possible:
1. Streetcar. It would have dedicated lanes from E 14th to W 19th. It would be logical to extend it up to Montgomery Park (probably up 18th/19th to the current streetcar tracks).
2. I-405 highway caps between SW Morrison and NW Couch, with parks in the blocks above. Park space is very much needed here. Conservatively estimating $1,000/sf, the cost would be about $120 million. This is a relatively achievable figure.

A project like this would utterly transform Burnside, and it would tie the new bridge into the healthiest part of downtown between 10th and 14th. And it would help that area extend outwards along Burnside.

Maybe I'm getting a reputation for harebrained ideas. But this one actually seems achievable. I'm going to float it once we have the new city council installed.

[colossalorder]

I totally agree. I don't have expertise to opine on the practicality, but I agree that a 5 yr closure makes it an opportunity to really consider this.

Burnside is such a central connecting street but it is really unpleasant for walking. Imagine the flow of people walking between Saturday market, Old Town, Voodoo, China town, N. Park Blocks, Powell's, Harvey Milk, Providence Park, NW 23rd up to Washington Park, etc. Such an opportunity to connect all these great Portland attractions.

In my fantasy Portland, the James Beard Public Market would sit at the very "center" of Portland's urban core on a capped 405 at Burnside. Not only would the symbolism be cool - in the very middle of the city but it would connect Pearl, West End, Goose Hollow and Alphabet District so beautifully. I think for the market to be truly vital, it can't just be a tourist attraction or a day time office worker stop, but it has to be in a place that real locals use regularly for shopping. I'm sure there are a million reasons why this would never work, but boy would it be fantastic.

[uncommon.name]

Originally Posted by Jakz

Just spitballing here, but the 5-year closure of the bridge will provide a good opportunity for re-allocating space on W Burnside. Before I changed jobs, I used to walk the street almost every day between W 20th and W 6th. It always struck me as a street with so much potential that is almost entirely wasted on cars. It could be an absolutely iconic main street for the city.

A proposal: Turn W Burnside into a transit mall (two lanes, transit only) between 6th and 18th. W Burnside carries very little through-traffic. Most WB traffic on the bridge is headed for destinations downtown or in the Pearl/NW neighborhoods. 4th, 6th, and the Glisan/Everett couplet can be used, as they currently are, to access these destinations. Ditto for EB traffic from the West Hills. This traffic can use the Alder/Washington and Glisan/Everett couplets to reach destinations in downtown and the Pearl respectively (a WB lane would need to be added on Alder between 13th and 19th, a simple reconfiguration).

The current W Burnside roadway is 43 feet wide. A 20 foot transitway with 5 foot wide bike lanes on each side would allow for 6.5 foot curb extensions on each side. This would provide space for street trees and restaurant tables.

Two nice-to-have additions, if possible:
1. Streetcar. It would have dedicated lanes from E 14th to W 19th. It would be logical to extend it up to Montgomery Park (probably up 18th/19th to the current streetcar tracks).
2. I-405 highway caps between SW Morrison and NW Couch, with parks in the blocks above. Park space is very much needed here. Conservatively estimating $1,000/sf, the cost would be about $120 million. This is a relatively achievable figure.

A project like this would utterly transform Burnside, and it would tie the new bridge into the healthiest part of downtown between 10th and 14th. And it would help that area extend outwards along Burnside.

Maybe I'm getting a reputation for harebrained ideas. But this one actually seems achievable. I'm going to float it once we have the new city council installed.

Considering W Burnside is an arterial and one of the very few routes through the West Hills, I highly doubt it would be feasible to change it's focus away from car traffic.

[sopdx]

Final Design Recommendation

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/b...or-new-design/

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by sopdx

Final Design Recommendation

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/b...or-new-design/

Honestly the inverted Y is probably the best choice that could easily be an iconic looking bridge for the city.

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by urbanlife

Honestly the inverted Y is probably the best choice that could easily be an iconic looking bridge for the city.

Totally agree, the other styles that mimic Fremont Bridge seemed too dated and closed-in feeling. This part of town needs something more airy and modern. And apparently this design is less likely to get climbed-on and tagged with graffiti haha.

[maccoinnich]

New Burnside Bridge should ‘look like no other’ Portland span, committee says



The committee charged with designing the new Burnside Bridge has recommended an unusual look, aiming for a bold structure that would differentiate it from other Portland spans.

“A $900 million bridge ought to look like no other in entire bridge-building history,” Sharon Wood Wortman told fellow members of the Multnomah County committee at a meeting Thursday.

The committee voted 14-2 to recommend an “inverted-Y” cable-stay design, featuring a single tower supported by two angular legs. The tower is connected to the bridge’s roadway by a series of cables.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[dizflip]

Anyone know why they won't bother putting a westbound bus lane?

[truebaru]

Originally Posted by dizflip

Anyone know why they won't bother putting a westbound bus lane?

More lanes were initially planned, but Multnomah County budgets meant they had to cut them. https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/...lanes-traffic/

[Jakz]

Originally Posted by dizflip

Anyone know why they won't bother putting a westbound bus lane?

Just guessing, but probably because the WB lanes don't tend to get backed up at W 2nd/3rd like the EB lanes do at MLK. So the 2-block bus lane beginning at ~Naito is probably sufficient. IIRC, the EB direction carries about twice as much traffic as WB due to the easy access to I-84 EB. So it is kind of odd that WB has two lanes while EB has one. But it's good that the planners are prioritizing the EB bus lane. Probably not a problem to add a WB bus lane in the future if it would improve bus times.

[baloneyjoe]

Has there been any discussion of what will become of the bridge towers? They're pretty iconic, and it would be great if at least one of them could be preserved, if not as part of the new bridge, than at least as an installation nearby (like the lovejoy ramp columns)

[maccoinnich]

Multnomah County commissioners greenlight design for $900M-plus earthquake-ready Burnside Bridge



The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners approved a distinctive new look for the Burnside Bridge on Thursday as officials prepare to earthquake-proof the 98-year-old structure by 2031.

The project is expected to cost more than $900 million dollars and require the bridge to close for five years.

In a unanimous vote, the commissioners approved an “inverted-Y,” cable-stay design, featuring a single tower supported by two angular legs. The design was recommended by a community advisory committee and county employees.

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said the new bridge will be an important structure to connect the east and west sides in the event of an earthquake.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[colossalorder]

If you've never seen it, the Burnside Bridge earthquake simulation video is pretty interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn98JkN5HXc