Autophiles and amateur design critics bitching about proposed transit-only bridge in Portland

[marmar]

from the Next American City blog:



A rendering of the proposed bridge.


Local politicians and planners in Portland want commuters to keep their cars at the curb, and they’re calling on “Godzilla” for help.

Next spring, Portland will begin building its first bridge over the Willamette River in 37 years. The Willamette River Transit Bridge — which will link a future Oregon Health & Science University campus on the west side of the river with a museum and opera house on the east — will be 71 feet wide and feature 14-foot-wide paths on both sides for bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge’s middle will provide space for public-transit vehicles but no private cars. The active-transit structure, a critical piece of a 7.3-mile light-rail line that will link downtown Portland with the south suburb of Milwaukie, will be the first of its kind in the United States.

“We’re thrilled to have the first bridge of this kind right here in Portland,” said Gerik Kransky, advocacy director with the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, a Portland-based advocacy group.

Kransky said the Willamette Transit Bridge’s bike-ped lanes will be four feet wider than those on the busy Hawthorne Bridge, which also connects downtown Portland with the Central Eastside Neighborhood. The residential-industrial enclave links up with the Springwater Corridor, a popular route for commuter cyclists. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/2713/

[enlightenment]

1. I think it's kind of pretty.

Sort of reminds me of the Millennium bridge over the Thames in London - and it's prettier than the Hungerford Bridge.

[marmar]

2. THAT's the bridge I was thinking of......

I kept thinking, this reminds me of a bridge in London.

[enlightenment]

3. Doesn't that just drive you nuts?

You can see it in your head, but can't dredge up the name . . .

I used to call it CRS, but discovered a better acronym - CRAFT (can't remember a f*$*ing thing). Pretty much sums up my existence these days!