(June 4, 2021) Climate-friendly travel between the Historic Alphabet and Pearl districts is now better, easier, and safer than ever. This morning, the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) held a grand opening ribbon-cutting and celebration of Flanders Crossing, Portland’s newest bicycle and pedestrian bridge.
Flanders Crossing is 24 feet wide and stretches 200 feet across I-405. Designed for two-way pedestrian and bike traffic, the earthquake-resilient bridge also adds a seismic lifeline in the case of a major tremblor. PBOT has installed new traffic signals along NW Flanders Street, at 14th and 16th avenues, along with a four-way stop sign at 15th to make it easy for pedestrians and people biking to access the bridge from both directions.
Until the opening of Flanders Crossing, it’s been hard for pedestrians or people biking to get across I-405 in this area. Both overpasses along NW Everett and Glisan streets have sidewalks on only one side and have tricky intersections with onramps and exit ramps for I-405. Flanders Crossing provides the first easy, comfortable way to get across I-405, connecting Northwest Portland with the rest of the central city in a much safer way.
Coupled with the Flanders Neighborhood Greenway -- a low-stress, east-west biking and pedestrian connection across Northwest Portland, the Pearl, Old Town, and into downtown Portland -- it is easier than ever to get where you need to go by walking, biking, rolling, strolling, or taking public transit.
As the city reopens after the pandemic, PBOT expects thousands of people to use Flanders Crossing daily whether on a stroll, traveling to work, shops, grocery stores, or to visit friends and family.
To celebrate the new bridge and neighborhood greenway, PBOT is launching Go By Greenways: NW Gems, a scavenger hunt game you can play while touring the neighborhood and visiting some of the wonderful gems of Northwest Portland and the Pearl. Participants explore the new greenway, then are entered to win prizes when they collect codes along the way. Visit www.gobygreenways.org to start playing with your friends and family!
“When we connect neighborhoods together, we expand the places people can live, work, and visit. With Flanders Crossing complete, it will now be easier to move independent of a car between neighborhoods like Northwest Portland and the Pearl District,” said Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty. “This is a great example of what sustainable growth looks like – planning for an increased population while reducing carbon emissions. I look forward to seeing more investments like this across our city as we build a green Portland for all Portlanders.”
“Everyone benefits when we add transportation options that reduce pollution and carbon emissions,” said PBOT Director Chris Warner. “In addition to being able to withstand an earthquake, Flanders Crossing will help increase our city’s resilience by building stronger connections between neighborhoods and communities.”
Flanders Crossing and the new greenway are enthusiastically endorsed by the Northwest District Association, the Pearl District Neighborhood Association, the Old Town Chinatown Community Association, the Nob Hill Business Association, and many others.
The $9.5 million bridge was funded by a grant from ConnectOregon and city Transportation System Development Charges.