Proposed pedestrian bridge for Wildwood Trail at Burnside |

Wildwood Trail, July 2013

In summer 2012, I went for a walk on the Wildwood Trail heading north from the Hoyt Arboretum to the Pittock Mansion, continuing on to Lower Macleay Park and the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. On this walk, you have to cross W. Burnside St., where is no crosswalk, the road curves, and cars fly zoom right along heading toward or away from downtown. With Afton strapped in a carrier on my chest, I hesitated to cross several times. A while passed before the road was clear of any cars, and when I finally crossed, it was a matter of seconds before cars showed up zooming right behind me as I accessed the trail on the other side. The situation was similar on the return route a couple of hours later. It is indeed not a safe crossing!

Wildwood Trail, July 2013

So I was happy to hear of a proposed plan to place a pedestrian bridge at that crossing to connect the Wildwood Trail. The proposed Wildwood Bridge, designed by local resident Ed Carpenter, would place walkers and runners above the traffic, making it a safer route for both explorers and drivers. Here is one view of the design:

Image courtesy Ed Carpenter

Ed has more information about the bridge on his website, and you can read a little more:
– Portland Hikers: Proposed Wildwood Trail bridge over Burnside
– Arlington Heights NA: Neighborhood Association urges Wildwood Trail bridge over Burnside
– NW Examiner: A bridge over terrifying Burnside

Also, to further raise concern about the issue and support for the bridge project, consider sending emails to:
– Amanda Fritz, Commissioner in charge of Parks, amanda@portlandoregon.gov
– Steve Novick, Commissioner in charge of Transportation, steve.novick@portlandoregon.gov

The safer our trails the better!