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Stay up to date on the latest news and information about the SW Tichner Drive landslide response. Emails will be sent when major changes take place, especially related to access, construction activity, or project timelines.
Latest updates
(July 7, 2025) - Contractors hired by the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) have been working on site since Monday, June 30. This week crews will begin clearing and grubbing vegetation near the top of the slope, then remove the older mesh from the rockface. Scaling and drilling should begin by this Friday, 7/11, and continue through next week.
Crews will generally be on site between 7 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday.
Neighbors can expect to see trucks and crew members accessing the work zone from above the slide on SW Champlain Drive and below near SW Tichner. Details of the upcoming work are listed below.
SW Tichner Drive, between West Burnside Street and SW Kingston Avenue, remains closed to vehicle traffic due to continued risk of additional debris falling on the roadway. People walking may use the north sidewalk on SW Tichner Drive. People biking may also walk their bikes on the sidewalk.
TriMet has moved eastbound Stop ID 712 for the 20-Burnside/Stark bus to the east by 250 feet.
Timeline
Construction could take an estimated 1.5 months to 2 months. The timeline duration can change based on slope conditions or other unknowns that may arise during on-site work.
Details of the upcoming work
Project response includes rockfall mitigation across an approximately 130-foot-wide section of the rock slope above SW Tichner Drive. This specialized work is a multi-step process.
Site assessments and initial work will begin with crews accessing the top of the slide from vacant property lots located along SW Champlain Drive.
Specific steps to mitigate rockfall and safely reopen SW Tichner Drive to vehicle traffic include:
- Tree removal. Five trees along the top slope have roots that are impacting stabilization and need to be removed. Portland Parks & Recreation's Urban Forestry staff will oversee this work before further mitigation work can begin. Completed
- Install a temporary rockfall barrier across SW Tichner Road at the intersection of W Burnside Road. Completed
- Remove existing cable netting, including damaged portions near the slide area, and adjacent sections to the east and west of the slide that will provide crews access for additional rock and debris removal. In progress
- Remove loose rock and debris (scaling) from the unstable section east of the slide, overhanging section to the west of the slide, and the existing slide area. Most of the scaling will be done by hand by crews descending on ropes.
- Limited blasting. There is potential for some targeted blasting work in limited areas to remove sections of rock. Need for blasting will be determined once the scaling is completed and there is a better assessment of the rockface. PBOT will provide updates on additional safety protocols if blasting is necessary.
- Haul approximately 3,000-6,000 yards of rock and debris from the bottom of the slope. The area must be cleared for crane access before other work can take place. The hauling will be performed by a second contractor.
- Install new draped cable mesh over the rockface across an area approximately 130 feet wide by 110 feet tall.
- Once the area is deemed safe for travel, PBOT will reopen SW Tichner Drive to vehicle traffic.
Project area
The landslide occurred just south of W Burnside Road at the intersection of SW Tichner Drive, shown in the map below.
Pedestrian access has been maintained on the north sidewalk along SW Tichner Drive. People biking may also walk their bikes on the sidewalk. Motor vehicle lanes will remained closed until further notice. PBOT engineers continue to monitor the area closely and have observed indications of additional movement and rockfall.
Washington Park access
Spring and summer are some of the finest times to visit Washington Park, and some of the busiest. SW Tichner Drive is one of the northside vehicle entrances to access park amenities like the Portland Japanese Garden and International Rose Test Garden.
Plan ahead on how to get the park, and consider using the Free Park Shuttle, MAX, or bus for a low-stress visit.
The Explore Washington Park website has great tips on arriving by car, bike, transit or ride share. They also have a page dedicated to Construction & Closures where you can find updates on park access.
Recommended vehicle detour routes to Washington Park during the closure are by SW Vista Avenue to SW Park Place or SW Kingston Drive.
Please use caution and travel slowly on these detour routes, which may have more traffic than normal. Expect to see people biking and using Washington Park hiking trails when traveling on SW Kingston Drive.
Background
On Saturday, March 29, hundreds of cubic yards of rocky material broke free from a steep, 100-foot tall rock face. The dislodged rock mass landed primarily in a PBOT sand storage lot below, but some rocks the size of bowling balls spilled onto SW Tichner Drive.
A similar mass adjacent to that one is poised to fall, this time directly onto the roadway. It could fall at any time—without prior warning - and therefore the bureau has closed both motor vehicle lanes.
Portland typically experiences several landslides each winter which impact roads, sidewalks and other public right of way. Those regularly involve mud and tree debris sliding from a hillside onto the roadway or sidewalk below.
In the case of SW Tichner, a large quantity of weathered rock and debris fell from more than 80 feet above the bottom of the hillside. Rockfall events this large are rare in the Portland area. PBOT has brought in a contractor from outside of the Portland area to find the right expertise.
Outreach
SW Tichner Drive Flyer posted near road closure