The Eastbank Esplanade (officially Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade) is a pedestrian and bicycle path along the east shore of the
Willamette River
The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...
in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Running through the
Kerns
Kerns may refer to:
* Plural of Kern
* Kerns (surname)
* Kerns, Ontario, Canada
* Kerns, Portland, Oregon, United States
* Kerns, Switzerland, a village and municipality
See also
*
* Kernstown, Virginia, United States
** Battle of Kernsto ...
,
Buckman, and
Hosford-Abernethy neighborhoods, it was conceived as an
urban renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
project to rebuild the
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Califor ...
bicycle bypass washed out by the
Willamette Valley Flood of 1996. It was renamed for former Portland mayor
Vera Katz
Vera Katz (née Pistrak; August 3, 1933 – December 11, 2017) was an American Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 49th mayor of Portland, O ...
in November 2004
and features a
statue of her near the
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the ol ...
.
Description
The project, designed by landscape architects Mayer/Reed, cost $30 million, of which $10 million built a lower deck on the
Steel Bridge
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries ro ...
.
The
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
extends from the Steel Bridge () to the
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the ol ...
().
The south end connects to the
Springwater Corridor
The Springwater Corridor Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian rail trail in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It follows a former railway line from Boring through Gresham to Portland, where it ends south of the Eastbank Espla ...
, a
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
that runs south to
Sellwood, then east to
Gresham, then south to
Boring. The
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
includes a floating walkway, the longest of its kind in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
Connected to this is a public dock.
Thirteen markers along the esplanade correspond to the eastside street grid.
History
Construction began in October 1998, and the walkway was dedicated in May 2001.
The esplanade was closed for 21 days due to high river levels in 2011, the first time it had been closed since it was built.
On the same day in February 2015, two dead bodies were discovered along the esplanade. The events appear to be unrelated.
Public art
Public artworks installed along the esplanade include ''
Alluvial Wall
''Alluvial Wall'' is an outdoor 2001 sculpture by Peter Nylen and the architectural firm Rigga located along the Eastbank Esplanade in Portland, Oregon.
Description
The sculpture is made of mild steel, cast silicon bronze, cast iron and electr ...
'', ''
Echo Gate
''Echo Gate'' is an outdoor 2001 sculpture by Ean Eldred and the architectural firm Rigga, located along the Eastbank Esplanade in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was funded by the City of Portland Development Commission's Percent for Art pro ...
'', the
''Ghost Ship'' sculpture, the
statue of Vera Katz and ''
Stack Stalk''.
See also
*
Kevin Duckworth Memorial Dock
References
External links
Portland Development Commission Eastbank Esplanade site
{{coord, 45.523718, -122.666149, type:landmark_region:US-OR_source:googlemapssatellite, display=title, name=Eastbank Esplanade midpoint
2001 establishments in Oregon
Bike paths in Oregon
Bridges completed in 2001
Bridges in Portland, Oregon
Buckman, Portland, Oregon
Hosford-Abernethy, Portland, Oregon
Parks in Portland, Oregon
Pedestrian bridges in Oregon
Pontoon bridges in the United States
Steel bridges in the United States
Tourist attractions in Portland, Oregon
Waterfronts
Willamette River