 News media contact:
Dylan Rivera
Cell: 503-577-7534
dylan.rivera@portlandoregon.gov
@pbotinfo
News Release:
Save the Date! PBOT opens Blumenauer Bridge July 31, with opening celebration & community event space
 This artist's rendering shows what the Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge will look like when it is completed. Image by PBOT.
(June 8, 2022) The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge will provide a valuable car-free connection between two of the Rose City’s fastest growing neighborhoods. In the spirit of how this bridge will bring us together, on July 31, PBOT will host a community gathering to celebrate the formal opening of the new crossing.
The day will include a variety of community-led bike rides. New plazas on the north and south sides of the bridge, as well as nearby destinations in the Lloyd District and Central Eastside, will have pop-up block parties with a variety of local vendors and organizations. The Central Eastside Industrial Council and Go Lloyd, along with The Street Trust and Friends of the Green Loop, are organizing local groups that may want to take part in street fairs and group bike rides the day of the celebration. There will also be a formal program where local leaders, including Congressman Blumenauer and Portland Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty will speak.
When: Sunday, July 31. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by 11:30 a.m., ahead of the ceremony and afternoon pop-up block party.
Where: The NE Seventh Avenue and NE Flanders Street intersection on the south side of the bridge. The NE Seventh Avenue and NE Lloyd Boulevard intersection will provide access to the north side.
What: Community celebration and Blumenauer Bridge opening ceremony with speeches from a handful of dignitaries, including Congressman Blumenauer and Commissioner Hardesty. A pop-up block party curated by neighborhood partners will offer a chance to explore local vendors and services. Other activities may be offered in the neighborhoods in the surrounding area.
More info: Coming soon! Sign up for updates about the Blumenauer Bridge by email or text message and follow PBOT on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest event details in the coming weeks.
Questions about participating in the community gathering? Contact Michael Espinoza at Michael.Espinoza@portlandoregon.gov and 503-823-7083.
About the Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge
The Blumenauer Bridge will serve as a vital connection for pedestrians and people biking between two of Portland’s fastest growing neighborhoods—Lloyd and the Central Eastside—and beyond. In the future it will also serve as an important link in Portland’s Green Loop.
This new bridge will be 475-feet long and 24-feet wide, spanning over seven lanes of I-84 traffic, an active railroad line, and Sullivan’s Gulch. The completed bridge will have a 10-foot wide pedestrian path and a 14-foot wide path for two-way bicycle traffic.
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 will be located along the NE Seventh Avenue alignment to best serve the geographic centers of both districts, link to existing and planned bike routes, and reduce conflicts with truck traffic. The nearest existing connections, on NE Grand Avenue and NE 12th Avenue, are substandard for pedestrian and bicycle use and have significant conflicts with freight and automobile traffic.
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides people and businesses access and mobility.
Learn more at portland.gov/transportation
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