News media contact:
Dylan Rivera Portland Bureau of Transportation (503) 577-7534 dylan.rivera@portlandoregon.gov @pbotinfo
PBOT Travel Advisory:
Portland Aerial Tram to close for
routine maintenance Nov. 22-27
(Nov. 16, 2016) – The Portland Aerial
Tram will close for scheduled maintenance from 7 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 22,
reopening at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 28. The work is scheduled for the
Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when the tram experiences lower than normal use
and closes for the national holiday.
During the closure, shuttle buses will
run between Oregon Health & Science University’s South Waterfront and
Marquam Hill campuses. Passengers can catch a shuttle bus from the Center for
Health & Healing in South Waterfront and the Kohler Pavilion roundabout on
Marquam Hill.
The closure will allow crews to
replace the tram’s haul rope. The haul rope, used to propel the tram cabins
from one station to the other, must be replaced periodically. It was last
replaced in 2010.
The Portland Aerial Tram is owned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation and operated by OHSU. Photo courtesy Portland Bureau of Transportation.
The Portland Aerial Tram is one of the
busiest aerial tramways in the world, providing more than 12 million rides
since opening in 2007. After more than 21,800 hours and 325,000 trips, the haul rope
is near the end of its useful life.
Though shuttles will be available
during the tram’s normal operating hours, with more running during peak times
(7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.), please plan to add as much as 30 minutes to your
time in transit. If possible, avoid scheduling meetings and appointments on the
hill and at the waterfront on the same days.
Shuttles will be accessible to people
using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. The tram is normally closed on the
Thanksgiving holiday, and the shuttle service will be closed as well.
The Go By Bike bike parking service
will move to the Whitaker lot (just east of the lower tram station, between SW
Bond and SW River Parkway) with temporary fencing from Friday, Nov. 18 until
Tuesday, Nov. 22. Additional bike parking will also be added on Marquam Hill during
this closure.
This November
shutdown could be seen as a trial run for much more intense work happening in
Spring-Summer 2018. During that time, the tram will be down for five weeks for
a required maintenance service, known as track rope slipping.
Track rope
slipping is a labor intensive project that normally takes up to eight weeks,
but tram operations staff are committed to completing it in five weeks. With
two dozen crew members working up to 14 hours a day, this will be their biggest
project yet.
ABOUT
THE PORTLAND AERIAL TRAM
The
Portland Aerial Tram is owned by the City of Portland’s Bureau of
Transportation and operated by OHSU. It
opened to the public on Jan. 27, 2007. The cabins, named Walt and Jean, travel
3,300 linear feet between the South Waterfront terminal adjacent to the OHSU
Center for Health & Healing and the upper terminal at the Kohler Pavilion
on OHSU's main campus. Traveling at 22 miles per hour, the tram cabins rise 500
feet for the three-minute trip over I-5, the Lair Hill neighborhood and the
Southwest Terwilliger Parkway. Visit http://gobytram.com . Find the tram on Twitter @PortlandTram and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/portlandaerialtram.
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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. Learn more at www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation
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