Pedestrian bridge, trail remain closed pending further inspections
(Jan. 17, 2021) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) advises the traveling public that West Burnside will remain closed on Monday, expected to reopen at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, at the soonest. Crews from Portland General Electric, Portland Parks & Recreation, and PBOT have been working through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday weekend to mitigate the issues caused by a recent landslide.
City workers have removed more than 400 cubic yards of soil, trees, and other debris. PGE utility crews have installed new poles and wires. City engineers have made several inspections of Portland Parks & Recreation’s Barbara Walker Crossing, the bridge for people to use when crossing Burnside on the Wildwood Trail. This will help to better understand what repairs are needed to the bridge after a tree crashed down on top of it.
The Barbara Walker Crossing and adjacent portions of the Wildwood Trail will remain closed until a structural engineering assessment of the bridge can be completed. Portland Parks & Recreation will provide updates when information is available.
Avoid the area, use alternate routes
We urge the public to avoid the area if at all possible. Use alternate routes, including U.S. 26, U.S. 30 and NW Cornell Road.
Obey all traffic signage, road closures and detours. Eastbound traffic is detoured at Skyline Road. Westbound traffic is detoured at SW Tichner Drive. Use extreme caution on detour routes nearest the closure, which may include narrow, residential streets in the area.
PBOT will not reopen the road until engineers are sure it is safe to do so.
The closure stems from a large landslide that came after a heavy rain-and-wind storm. At about 11 p.m. Tuesday night, a landslide pushed large trees and soil from Forest Park onto West Burnside. About a half dozen large trees were down, with others looming over the roadway. At least one tree was leaning on the Barbara Walker Crossing, Portland Parks & Recreation’s pedestrian bridge that opened in 2019 to safely connect the popular Wildwood Trail across West Burnside.
Sign up to receive traffic advisories and other alerts from PBOT by email or text message
###
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the city’s transportation system, and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage, and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation