I-84 closes Oct. 8-11 east of I-5 for installation of new bike-ped bridge

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 10/05/2021 08:00 AM PDT

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I-84 closes this weekend east of I-5 for installation of a new bike-pedestrian bridge

Both eastbound and westbound I-84 will be closed around the clock from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11.

Contacts: 

Hannah Schafer, 971-235-8472, PBOT, for questions about the new bridge

Don Hamilton, 503-704-7452, ODOT, for questions about the roads

Looking west over I-84 at the work site and bridge waiting to be placed.

Looking south over I-84 towards the Blumenauer Bridge work site from the northern landing. Photo by Trey Senatore, PBOT.

(Oct. 5, 2021) Interstate 84 east of Interstate 5 will close in both directions this weekend, Oct. 8-11, while crews put in place the new Congressman Earl Blumenauer Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.

When open next year, the Blumenauer Bridge will connect pedestrians and people biking on Northeast 7th Avenue between the Lloyd and the Central Eastside neighborhoods. In the future it will also serve as an important link in Portland’s Green Loop. 

Both eastbound and westbound I-84, along with on-ramps, will be closed, with some variations, around the clock from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 11.

Here are the closure details.

I-84 eastbound

All I-84 eastbound lanes will close from I-5 to Cesar Chavez Boulevard, including:

  • The ramps to I-84 from northbound and southbound I-5.
  • The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast Grand Avenue, closing at 5 a.m. Friday.
  • The eastbound on-ramp from Northeast 16th Avenue, will periodically open.

The eastbound on-ramp from Cesar Chavez Boulevard will remain open. On-ramps east of Cesar Chavez Boulevard will also remain open.

I-84 westbound

All I-84 westbound lanes will close at Interstate 205 including:

  • The ramps from northbound and southbound I-205.
  • The on-ramp from Northeast Halsey Street, near 82nd Avenue.
  • The on-ramp from Northeast Glisan Street, near 58th Avenue
  • The on-ramp from Northeast Sandy Boulevard.
  • The on-ramp from Northeast 33rd Avenue.
  • The ramps to northbound and southbound I-5.

For real time traffic information during the closure, go to TripCheck.com. This work is weather dependent and the schedule may change.

I-84 east is closed between I-5 and Cesar Chavez. I-84 west is closed from I-205 to I-5.

About the project

After more than a year of construction to build the bridge’s foundations, the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Congressman Earl Blumenauer Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge is ready for the next phase of installation. The approximately 450,000 lb. and 400-foot-long bridge will be lifted and rolled into place over Sullivan’s Gulch.

The bridge will then be attached to a temporary tower between the I-84 freeway and railroad tracks. Following the initial bridge placement, crews will connect the bridge to the north landing as part of the final phase of construction.

When it opens in Summer 2022, the bridge will be seismically resilient and serve as a backup route for emergency vehicles over I-84 in the event of an earthquake. In addition to the bridge, the project includes two new public plazas and landings on the north and south sides of the bridge. The bridge’s arch design was designed by the Portland-based firm KPFF Consulting Engineers and the landing plazas were designed by ZGF Architects.

A rendering of the Blumenauer Bridge and the north side plaza.

A rendering of the Blumenauer Bridge and the north side plaza.

Funding for the project comes from the Oregon Convention Center Urban Renewal Area and from Transportation System Development Charges (TSDCs), which are fees paid by development to mitigate the impact of new users of the transportation system. Other funding sources include a commitment from the nonprofit transportation management association Go Lloyd and the Central Eastside Industrial Council.

In January 2019, PBOT retained HP Civil Inc., an Oregon-based construction company, as general contractor for the project. The project includes 32% participation from Disadvantaged, Minority-Owned, Women-Owned, Emerging Small Businesses, or Service Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises (D/M/W/ESB/SDVBE) including an equity partner, West Side Iron, a minority-owned Oregon business responsible for delivering and assembling the bridge structure. The estimated construction cost is $13.7 million.

Learn more about the Blumenauer Bridge and sign up for project updates at www.portland.gov/transportation/pbot-projects/construction/congressman-earl-blumenauer-bicycle-and-pedestrian-bridge.

ODOT supports this effort with the City of Portland as we work to maintain a safe and modern transportation system, part of ODOT's Strategic Action Plan.