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Moving forward with the Gibbs Pedestrian Bridge |
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The City of Portland is working to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over I-5 to connect the historic
Lair Hill neighborhood (now called South Portland Neighborhood) with the South Waterfront district. The bridge
will span approximately 700 feet, and will have a landing on the west side near the intersection of SW Gibbs
Street and SW Kelly Avenue and on the east side near the intersection of SW Gibbs Street and SW Moody Avenue.
The bridge will be adjacent to the aerial tram and will include improvements to some pedestrian crossings in
the area. The first phase, aimed at selecting a preferred design concept, was completed in September 2008 and
on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 City Council approved the recommended extradosed bridge design.
What's New? What’s new with the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge Project?
The most recent developments are listed at the top.
The City is still planning on a pedestrian crossing of I-5 at SW Gibbs Street.
At this time, the bids are being rejected and the project will go through a process of value
engineering, re-design and re-bid. No dates for construction have been established yet.
Get a first look at the new bridge! View the photo simulations now to see how the bridge will look.
The project continues to move ahead. The plans and specifications are finished and the
construction process will be starting this summer. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will
advertise for contractor bids in late August. Then the bid opening will take place on September 24.
This is the time when ODOT will select a contractor to build the bridge. Construction is expected to
start in October or November, with completion early in 2011.
Over 60 people attended the Open House on March 18, 2009.
After a few months of study, the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge project has recommended a preferred design to City Council. On Wednesday, December
3, 2008 City Council approved the recommended extradosed bridge design.
What’s been happening?
In August 2009, after about eighteen months of design work, PBOT asked contractors to provide bids
for the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge. On October 8th 2009, the City received bids from four
contractors. The bids, ranging from $11 million to $13 million, all exceeded the available
budget. Although the City rejected all of the bids the City remains committed to constructing a
crossing over I-5 at SW Gibbs Street and restoring the historic connection to the Willamette
River.
The City cannot afford the bridge as previously designed and asked CH2M HILL to conduct a
value engineering analysis in November 2009. The purpose of value engineering is to learn
why the bids were higher than expected and determine how the designs should be modified to
construct the bridge within the available budget.
Why were the bids higher than expected?
Construction over I-5 is complex with many restrictions about when lanes can be closed and
how work can proceed on the freeway shoulders. The contractor’s estimates fully accounted for
this complexity which drove costs up. In addition, some of the costs of the elevator materials
were underestimated.
What should be modified to construct a crossing over the freeway?
The CH2M HILL team evaluated many possible changes including construction methodologies,
bridge types, and modification or elimination of specific bridge components. CH2M HILL and
the City will consider the following items during the redesign process:
- Less expensive bridge type and slightly shorter alignment
- Simplified elevator and stair design
- One elevator cab instead of two
- Less expensive fence materials on the bridge and throughout the project area
- Less expensive stormwater treatment
In addition, the City will ask ODOT for more flexibility about how construction on and over I-5
can take place. Greater flexibility would allow a contractor to be more efficient.
What is the City doing?
An independent consultant is reviewing the CH2M HILL team’s recommended modifications
and will verify costs and identify any further modifications that should be considered.
What are the next steps?
From here, the City will determine how to redesign each of the items listed above and prepare
contract documents for the redesigned bridge. To date, many community members have
provided input about the design of the bridge. We will continue to check in with both the
project’s Community Advisory Committee and the South Portland Neighborhood Association
as the bridge is redesigned. The team will also keep the web page updated and hold an open
house to share the redesigned bridge with community members.
When can you expect to see construction start?
December 2010
Questions? Comments? Please tell us what you think.
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