Placing of Powell bridge highlights Gresham’s push to ‘connect’
Gresham’s first bicycle-pedestrian bridge was set in place by cranes over W. Powell Boulevard Aug. 10. The new 177-foot bridge (not yet open to the public) was trucked in by eight semis each carrying an 88-foot concrete beam weighing 50,000 pounds.
The bridge marks another milestone in Gresham’s efforts complete bike lanes and trails that connect the city’s businesses and neighborhoods together, and the city to the region.
The bridge work is part of the City’s 2-mile extension of the Gresham-Fairview Trail from Burnside Road south to the Springwater Trail. When the extension opens for public use this winter, people will be able to walk, jog and bicycle 3.29 miles from Halsey Street at 201st Avenue south to the Springwater Trail.
New Bicycle Links
“We’ve finished major bicycle links this summer that make cycling in Gresham easier, safer, and that connect major trails,” said John Dorst, deputy director for the Department of Environmental Services. “It’s great to be connected and see people recreating and exploring the businesses, restaurants and parks in Gresham,” he added.
This spring the City also installed more than 100 bicycle wayfinding signs and produced an updated Gresham Bicycle Guide available at local bike shops, Gresham City Hall and the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce.
New bicycle links in Gresham include:
• 257th/Kane Drive from S.E. Powell Valley Road to NE 8th Street completes the eastern segment of the 40 Mile Loop.
• Halsey Street bike lanes from 162nd to 181st complete bike lanes through Halsey in Gresham; connects riders to the northern edge of the Gresham-Fairview Trail, which connects to the soon-to-be completed section to the Springwater Trail.
• Glisan Street bike lanes from 182nd to just east of 201st connect the last missing bicycle links on Glisan in the city, and connects riders to the Gresham-Fairview-Trail.
• Hogan Drive/242nd bike lanes from N.E. Glisan to S.E. Stark features new bike lanes and sidewalk; connects riders to the Springwater Trail’s Hogan Road trailhead to the south.
Future links include:
• A paved trail following the MAX tracks from the Ruby Junction/E197th station to the Cleveland MAX station; the trail will connect to the Gresham-Fairview Trail, with options to continue south to the Springwater Trail or north to the Marine Drive Trail.
• Gresham-Fairview Trail Phases IV and V, which will extend the trail from 201st at Halsey to Marine Drive at Interlachen Lane.
More Information
New Bicycle Wayfinding Signs and Gresham Bicycle Guide
Gresham SmartTrips - Summer Bicycle Rides
Bicycling and Walking
Transportation Division