Portland is Getting Another Bridge And Again - No Cars Allowed

Portland already calls itself the City of Bridges. And with good reason - there are more than a dozen bridges in the city, most of them crossing the Willamette River.

Well, plans are underway for the city's newest bridge. And, no. It is not over the Willamette. It's not even over water. The Flanders Crossing Bridge will cross I-405.

It will also be the second bridge in a row that will not allow cars.

Currently the only way for someone to cross I-405 is by crossing one of the freeway on-ramps. PBOT estimates some 9,100 trips will be made across the bridge

The bridge - announced over the weekend by the Portland Bureau of Transportation - is being funded by PBOT ($3 million) and the state's ConnectOregon program ($2.877 million).

Construction could begin as early as April, 2018.

The city says the crossing is part of a larger plan to improve travel in the neighborhood. The bridge would be part of a greenway that would stretch from NW 24th to the Steel Bridge.