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Background

Figure 1: Key Portland Bridges. Blue: bike lanes. Purple: shared use paths. Green: shared roadways.

Broadway Bridge, 1992: Westside, westbound. Bike signal, no bike lanes.

Broadway Bridge, 2002: Westside, westbound. New bike signal splits bike movements.

Bike lanes on approaches and connecting streets.

Before: Steel Bridge, upper deck. Bicyclists and pedestrians sharing one 1.5-m (5-ft) sidewalk with guardrail.

There are 10 bridges spanning Portland’s Willamette River, which cuts through the heart of Portland and provides social, economic, and recreational benefits. The Willamette River bridges connect the city’s east and west sides — on the west side is Portland’s vibrant and economically critical downtown and on the east side are light industries, emerging business districts and pedestrian and bicycle-friendly neighborhoods. The bridges simply are critical for mobility (see map, figure 1). They include five local bridges providing downtown access (Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside, Steel and Broadway), three other local bridges (Ross Island, Sellwood, and St. Johns), and two limited-access freeways (Fremont and Marquam). Multnomah County is responsible for five of the bridges, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for four, and the Union Pacific Railroad for one. The city of Portland is responsible for installing signs, striping, and facilitating access to all bridges.

Eight bridges (all but the limited-access freeways) provide some level of pedestrian and bicycle access (see table 1). In the early 1990s, a year-long partial closure of the Hawthorne Bridge galvanized cycle advocates to press for access during the closure. At the same time, the city embarked upon a major program to engage cyclists and potential cyclists in a dialogue about ways to increase cycling as a means of transportation. Overwhelmingly, improvements to the bridges’ approaches and spans were seen as the highest priority because of the poor bicycle and pedestrian conditions.

At the time, the eight non-freeway bridges were a major barrier for pedestrian and bicycle travel. Bicyclists and pedestrians shared narrow sidewalks, and all bridges had access problems, such as the following:

• Cyclists having to cross motor vehicle ramps with no markings or yield control.
• Lack of bikeway facilities on approaching congested streets and structures.
• Conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians on narrow sidewalks and other points.

On two bridges (Sellwood and Steel), the sidewalks were so narrow that bicyclists were supposed to walk their bikes (which they rarely did) through conflict areas. On several of the bridges, bicyclists could theoretically use auto travel lanes. On one downtown bridge (Burnside) this required sharing the relatively narrow 3 m (10 ft)–wide outside travel lanes on a six-lane span. On three other downtown bridges, sharing the travel lanes was (and still is) a dangerous undertaking given the narrow lane widths, traffic volume and speeds and sight distance. On three non-downtown bridges, sharing lanes meant bicycling on slippery grating (not a good option in rainy Portland).

These problems translated to low bicycle and pedestrian use of the bridge. Surveys of cyclists found the number-one problem cited was bridge facility quality and access. In response, Multnomah County, ODOT and the city of Portland collaborated on an ISTEA-funded study called the Willamette River Bridges Access Project (WRBAP). Consultants CH2MHill identified over $15 million in potential bicycle, pedestrian, and ADA improvements. The city and county subsequently implemented many of these via grants from ODOT, ISTEA, and through routine city of Portland, Multnomah County, and ODOT bridge and approach maintenance work.

Countermeasures

Over $12 million worth of improvements have been implemented, primarily on four of the downtown bridges — Hawthorne, Burnside, Steel, and Broadway. Preliminary design for improvements on the fifth downtown bridge — Morrison — is underway as of fall 2002. Limited improvements were suggested for the Sellwood, St. Johns, and Ross Island bridges; no major improvements have resulted. The measures implemented on the four main bridges are shown in the photos below and described for each bridge in table 1.

The measures include:

• Improvements to off-street facilities (widening sidewalks on Hawthorne, sidewalk in-fill in approach areas, replacement of slippery sidewalk surface on both Hawthorne and Broadway, addition of shared-use path on Steel).
• Striping bike lanes, signs (on the bridge span on Burnside, and on most approaches and access streets).
• Focusing on safety at conflict areas (closure of on-ramp from Naito to Hawthorne Bridge, reconstruction of conflict areas on approaches to Hawthorne and Broadway, blue bike lane implementation in conflict zones on approaches to Broadway and Hawthorne).
• Redesigning sidewalk ramps to meet ADA (all bridges).

It should be noted that many of the improvements were made in conjunction with other bridge upgrade or reconstruction projects; thus costs for specific bike and pedestrian improvements are not always available. Also note that the City used blue pavement areas in bike and motor vehicle conflict areas on the approaches from the eastside for two bridges (Broadway and Hawthorne). Blue bike lanes as a safety technique are discussed in the City of Portland publication, Blue Bike Lanes for Cycling Safety (City of Portland, 1997).

After: Steel Bridge Riverwalk on lower deck. It's a cantilevered 3-m (10-ft) shared use path connecting to paths on either side.

Hawthorne Bridge westside, eastbound, before improvements made.

Evaluation and Results

The city of Portland collected bicycle counts on the bridges over time, as shown in figure 2 and table 2. These counts are based on the daily peak two-hour period, and thus primarily reflect commute trips. The counts show an enormous increase over time in bicycle use on the four main bridges, while in comparison, counts for the bridges without bicycle access improvements remain extremely low. Recreational trips have increased enormously as well. Joggers and cyclists frequently use the Hawthorne and Steel bridges and their connecting paths as a downtown exercise loop during the day and on weekends.

A clear link can be made between the increased bike use and improved facilities on the four bridges discussed. On the Hawthorne, Burnside, and Broadway bridges alone, bike use went up 78 percent in the 1990s, compared with a 14 percent increase in the population and an 8 percent increase in motor vehicle use on these bridges. The following results should be noted:

• On the Burnside Bridge, bike use tripled from 300 daily cyclists to about 1,000 once the improvements were made.
• On the Hawthorne Bridge, many improvements were made over a multi-year period. The most significant jump in use occurred in 1999 after the sidewalks were widened, from about 2,400 cyclists to over 3,100 — a 32 percent increase in one year.
• On the Broadway Bridge, a 54 percent increase in cycling occurred the year after the major improvements were made.
• On the Steel Bridge, bike use went up 220 percent after the Steel Bridge Riverwalk and Eastbank Esplanade opened in May 2001.

Hawthorne Bridge westside, eastbound, after improvements made.

Before: Eastbound Hawthorne Bridge access to sidewalks — bicyclists make sharp turn, yield to motorists. Note 1.8-m (6-ft)-wide sidewalks.

After: Eastbound Hawthorne Bridge access to sidewalks — bicyclists proceed straight, motorists yield, Note 3.2-m (10.5-ft)-wide sidewalks.

Hawthorne Bridge: Bike lanes added on all approaches. Bike lanes added to all connecting streets: SW Main, SW Madison, SE Hawthorne, SE Madison. Blue bike area used at areas where motorists cross bicycle lane.

Blue area on eastbound viaduct at off-ramp.

Conclusions and Recommendations

This decade-long effort has been a major factor in Portland’s increasing bicycle use because of the crucial links these bridges provide into downtown. It also has been positive for pedestrians and people with disabilities, for several reasons: :

• Bike and pedestrian conflicts have either been largely eliminated through the installation of on-street bike lanes, or reduced through the provision of more or alternative space.
• All curb ramps have been upgraded to meet ADA standards.
• Missing sidewalk connections have been installed.
• Pedestrian-motorist conflict areas at approaches were improved.

The most dramatic and expensive improvements have had the most significant impact. Relatively low-cost improvements such as the blue bike markings in conflict zones, bike lanes on certain approaches, and signs were not as significant to increasing bike use as were the major cost items, such as providing a new shared-use path, widening the sidewalk, and replacing sidewalk surfaces and approaches. For example, bike use on the Burnside Bridge tripled when bike lanes were installed in 1993 (at a cost of $20,000), but has remained flat since that time at less than 1,000 daily cyclists. In comparison, bike use on the Hawthorne Bridge tripled to more than 3,000 daily cyclists because of the much-improved sidewalks and access improvements (at a cost of more than $1.3 million). Similar increases were seen on Broadway Bridge (a cost of $300,000) and Steel Bridge (a cost of more than $10 million) following improvements.

A key to the heavy and increasing concentration of bicyclists on the Hawthorne, Steel, and Broadway bridges as opposed to the Burnside and other bridges is that on these three bridges’ spans, bicyclists are off-street on either wide sidewalks or shared-use paths, with bike lanes on the approaches. In addition, the city added bicycle lanes to all streets connecting to the Hawthorne, Steel and Broadway bridges, overcoming a major hurdle in getting people to the bridges. In contrast, on the Burnside Bridge, cyclists operate in striped bicycle lanes adjacent to traffic, which is uncomfortable for some cyclists. And, there are no connecting bike lanes on the approaches or connecting streets.

Costs and Funding

The total cost of bridge improvements to date is over $12 million, funded through a variety of sources (see table 1 above).

Contact

Mia Birk
Principal, Alta Planning + Design
3604 SE Lincoln St
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 230-9862

¹ Mia Birk was the Bicycle Program Manager for the City of Portland from 1993–1999.

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