Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge

The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge will serve light rail trains, pedestrians, cyclists, and in the future, Portland Streetcar. Bus lines 9, 17 and 19, which currently travel on the Ross Island Bridge, may also change routes to use the new bridge (Decisions about bus line planning in regards to the entire project will occur through a service planning public process). The bridge will not serve private vehicles, but will be able to accommodate emergency vehicles.

 

Bridge facts

  • Four-pier cable-stayed bridge type (two piers on land, two in the water at the towers)
  • Approximately 1720 feet in length
  • Two towers, each 180 feet high
  • Typical width is 75.5 feet; at the towers, the width is 110.5 feet
  • Five spans
  • Approximately 3.5 miles of cable
  • Two 14-feet-wide bicycle and pedestrian paths

 

Learn how the cable-stayed bridge design was chosen.

 

Light rail bridge construction

April 2013–June 2013
At the West Tower site, bridge deck construction begins in each direction with the help of form travelers; as the deck lengthens, permanent cables will be installed. Construction of the landside west abutment will continue. By the end of April, the two pylons of the East Tower will be complete. When the East Tower pier table work is complete, form travelers will be installed to begin more deck construction.

On May 1, the Eastside Greenway Trail will close for 14 months to allow for the east abutment and landside piers to be installed. Wall installation and trail reconstruction will also take place. The detour for pedestrians and cyclists will be SE Water Avenue which has new sidewalks and bike lanes and connects directly to SE 4th Avenue and the Springwater Corridor. Eastside Greenway Trail detour map (416 KB PDF)

Learn what happens during each phase of bridge construction.

 

Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail BridgeCams

View live footage of construction of the light rail bridge, and time-lapse footage of construction progress.

 

BridgeView Videos

Watch behind-the-scenes videos about construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge.

 

Slow/no wake zone and exclusion zones

From June 15, 2011, through December 2012, a slow/no wake zone will be in effect to ensure the safety of Willamette River users and construction workers. Beginning July 1, 2011, an exclusion area around the in-water bridge construction site goes into effect.