A guardrail on the NE 33rd Avenue bridge has been damaged over the years by long trucks, prompting a restriction posted today that keeps trucks over 50 feet long from using the bridge. Crews with the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) have made repairs to keep it safe. Photo by PBOT.
(July 2, 2024) The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is implementing a new truck length restriction on NE 33rd Avenue north of NE Dekum Street and on the bridge connecting to Columbia Boulevard,due to the sharp curve at that location, and after repeated damage to the structure and to the large vehicles using it.
People driving trucks over 50 feet in length canno longer use the northbound 33rd Avenue bridge to connect to NE Columbia Boulevard. The restriction took effect this morning, when PBOT crews installed signs notifying travelers of the limit.
Instead, drivers of long trucks traveling in the immediate area can take the offramp between NE Liberty Street and NE Dekum to connect to NE Lombard Street and take the NE 42nd Avenue offramp to connect to Columbia Boulevard for a safer connection and street geometry that can accommodate larger vehicles. Drivers can also go west on Lombard to reach NE Martin Luther King Blvd and other destinations in NE Portland.
In addition, drivers of long trucks may want to use northbound NE 42nd Avenue or NE Martin Luther King Blvd instead of NE 33rd Avenue for a direct connection to Columbia Boulevard.
All southbound trucks of any size and northbound trucks that are 50 feet and shorter are not impacted.
Truck drivers and others should be advised that the NE 42nd Avenue Bridge will be closed starting later this year for a replacement and modernization project that will provide better access for freight as well and people biking and walking in the area.
