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Moving forward with the Gibbs Pedestrian Bridge

The City of Portland is working to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over I-5 to connect the historic Lair Hill 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. Work activities began in January 2011 and the bridge is expected to be completed by March 2012.

View of the bridge span getting ready for concrete decking (looking east).
Traffic Updates No work is scheduled for the weekend of January 21-22.

Visit ODOT's TripCheck website for more information about traffic conditions. You can also read ODOT's press release for the I-5 closure.

What’s been happening?

January 20
Work continues on the west landing plaza, as well as on the elevator and stairs on the east landing. Work will also continue on the bridge structure to prepare for the concrete pouring, which is expected to take place in February.

Past Project Updates:
Read more about the previous project and construction updates on the Schedule page. Construction photos are also available on the Project Library page.

Work activities began during the week of January 10, 2011. Construction work is expected to last one year. Bids were opened in October 2010 and the construction contract was awarded to Wildish Standard Paving Co., a Eugene-based company with experience building roads and bridges throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their bid was $6.7 million compared to the engineer's estimate of $8.1 million.

Construction comes after a year of work on a new design for the bridge after previous construction bids exceeded the project budget. With input from the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, the City selected a new bridge type to reduce the cost. The new bridge type is a Steel Box Girder. In addition, the city made other changes to the overall design including a simplified elevator and stairway design, and one elevator instead of two.

Construction Phone Lines

(503) 872-4732 - To listen to a recorded message about construction updates and the project in general.

(503) 736-4110 - To contact an on-site staff member for questions or complaints about the night time noise (as it is happening).

(503) 823-7211 - Please contact Jean Senechal Biggs, Project Manager, if you have any other questions about the project or noise concerns.

(503) 823-7350 – To contact the City’s Noise Control Hotline for further assistance with noise issues

The Bureau of Transportation fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA Title II, and related statutes and regulations in all programs and activities. For accommodations and additional information, contact the Title II and Title VI Coordinator at Room 1204, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204, or by telephone at 503-823-5185, City TTY 503-823-6868, or use Oregon Relay Service: 711.