Barbara Walker Crossing is a

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

carrying the Wildwood Trail across West Burnside Street to connect

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

and Washington Park.

Description

Barbara Walker Crossing is a steel

connecting

and Washington Park, carrying the Wildwood Trail across West Burnside Street. The bridge was designed by Ed Carpenter and named for Barbara Walker, a parks advocate who died in 2014. It cost $4.05 million to construct, with 63 percent of the cost covered by private donations and the remaining $1.3 million from the city government's general fund. The bridge was designed to carry 50 tons, with a 74-ton maximum load. The bridge was built for the Portland Parks Foundation, before ownership was transferred to

Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails. The properties, which occupy a total of more than . The bureau employs a total ...

. Joseph Gallivan of the ''

Portland Tribune The ''Portland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area. Launched in ...

'' described the bridge as "striking for its green spikes, which vaguely resemble ferns or evergreen needles."

History

Various groups worked toward the goal of building a bridge, initially known as the Wildwood Trail bridge, across Burnside Street for approximately 30 years. Stakeholders sought to create "a safe, continuous, delicate, iconic bridge that fits the site aesthetic, which could be constructed off-site, installed with minimal disruption, and prove cost-effective". Carpenter worked with Portland's KPFF Consulting Engineers, who confirmed that a single piling was sufficient to support the bridge. R&H Construction was hired for installation, and the

Portland Bureau of Transportation The Portland Bureau of Transportation (or PBOT) is the agency tasked with maintaining the city of Portland, Oregon, Portland's transportation infrastructure. Bureau staff plan, build, manage and maintain a transportation system with the goal of prov ...

ensured that permit procedures were followed.

Construction

The bridge was constructed at Supreme Steel in Portland's Parkrose neighborhood. It was separated into three pieces before being transported to the installation site over five days. The three pieces, south to north, weighed 10, 5.5, and 8 tons, respectively. The street was closed for two days during installation. One project manager for R&H Construction described the challenges of the bridge's installation:

A tight worksite with heavy traffic that doesn't always obey the posted reduced speed limits around the construction site. Also, working with large bridge sections that are not only in a 'V' shape, but also on a 150-degree radius, requires extensive preplanning in order to erect each section safely.

The bridge was installed in October 2019, and a grand opening ceremony was held on October 27. It is expected to be used by 80,000 people annually.

References

{{Washington Park, Portland, Oregon 2019 establishments in Oregon Bridges completed in 2019 Bridges in Portland, Oregon Footbridges Northwest Portland, Oregon Pedestrian bridges in Oregon Steel bridges in the United States Washington Park (Portland, Oregon)