(Portland, OR) –
UPDATE JUNE 17, 2022
River levels have dropped and the floating portion of the walkway will reopen on the morning of June 17, 2022. The area was temporarily closed and marked with signage and fencing.
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A portion of Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade continues to be temporarily closed for safety. Updated information is that the temporary closure, which went into place on Sunday, June 12, 2022, will last at least through Friday, June 17, as the river is still at or above 15.5 feet. The area affected is the floating portion of the popular multiuse path from north of the Morrison Bridge to south of the Steel bridge.
The Eastbank Esplanade is a popular, 1 ½ mile-long multiuse path popular with people using mobility devices, cyclists, and people traveling on foot. PP&R officials have been monitoring data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), indicated the Willamette River was expected to rise to 15.5 feet by mid-morning Sunday, June 12. That’s the threshold to temporarily close the floating portion of the Esplanade - the transitions onto and off the pathways become angled too high for safe passage.
The end date for this previously unforeseen closure is yet to be established; river water levels will determine when the floating portion can reopen. The temporarily closed areas will be marked with signage and fencing.
The Esplanade transitions from a sidewalk to a 1200-foot-long wooden deck over water beneath the Burnside Bridge on both sides. It’s one of the longest of its kind in the United States. This temporary safety closure will affect the path from around SE Ash Street on the north down to near SE Everett Street.
As the water rises from recent ongoing rains, it has lifted the floating path so that the connecting portions between the bridge and fixed, concrete sidewalk are approaching unsuitable angles. Portland Parks & Recreation’s primary concern is for the public’s safety and appreciates people adhering to the temporary closure.
PP&R urges all visitors to respect the protective fencing and signage now being installed. People who had planned to use this portion of the Esplanade will have to find alternate routes to their destinations.
Portland Parks & Recreation will post updates at portland.gov/parks/nature/trail-closures-and-delays
For more information about the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade, visit portland.gov/parks/eastbank-esplanade.
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