The Eastside Greenway pedestrian and cyclist trail is closed between the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) submarine/jetboat dock and SE Caruthers Street until June 30, 2014 to allow for construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge over the Willamette River.

A safe detour route has been established along SE Water between Caruthers and Clay Streets. The detour features new pavement and sidewalks, wider vehicular lanes, striped bike lanes and one left turn bike box at Clay Street. Additionally, the City of Portland will flip-flop the stop signs at SE Water and SE Caruthers. North/south traffic will be able to pass through the intersection without stopping, while east/west traffic will now observe a two-way stop.

The detour will connect directly to SE 4th Avenue and the Springwater Corridor Trail to the south. Cyclists, walkers and runners will access the Eastside Greenway Trail at SE Clay Street to the north.

Local access to OMSI, the submarine and the boat docks will be maintained via the existing path, however no through traffic will be allowed. Way-finding signs will be placed at the closure points to direct path users.

This closure will allow for crews to construct the landside piers and abutment for the bridge. Crews will also reconstruct this portion of Eastside Greenway Trail during this closure.

There are many vantage points where the public can still safely watch the bridge construction. The small plaza, located at the Caruthers cul-de-sac and the waterfront, will be open, with the exception of occasional spot closures depending on work needs. The plaza near the OMSI submarine/jetboat dock will also be open for viewing. Bridge cams of live bridge construction can be viewed by going to www.trimet.org/pm/construction/bridgecams  

Questions or concerns from the public about this work should be directed to DeeAnn Sandberg, TriMet Community Affairs Representative. Desk: 503-962-2273 Email: sandberd@trimet.org.

About the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge

The light rail bridge is the first bridge built across theWillamette River in Portland in more than 40 years, and will be the first cable-stayed bridge for the region, extending 1,720 feet (0.326 miles) over the Willamette River.