On July 10, the Oregon Transportation Commission will vote on a $6 million funding package for the npGreenway pedestrian/bike bridge over Columbia Boulevard. The project would connect Chimney Park to the St. Johns Prairie, a crucial connection for the npGreenway and 40-Mile Loop Trails.
Brett Horner, Parks & Trails manager at Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), notified trail advocates in mid-June that the Oregon Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee had recommended the federal funding. Horner added that the “OTC will have a formal vote to actually award the funding…so it’s not 100% a done deal, but it’s looking very good for us.”
The project was ranked sixth of 12 construction projects across the state. Local trail advocates such as npGreenway, the 40-Mile Loop Land Trust, and Friends of Baltimore Woods wrote letters in support of the funding and are elated by the good news. Jim Sjulin of the 40-Mile Loop Land Trust exclaimed, “The Oregon Transportation Commissioners simply need to nod their heads!”
The pedestrian bridge project was fully funded in 2020, but the project has faced delays and funding concerns due to rapidly rising construction costs, the pandemic, and PP&R’s lagging response. npGreenway members expressed disappointment about the delays and the consideration of an at-grade crossing, which they see as dangerous. The funding uncertainty was reported in the North Peninsula Review in January 2024.
PP&R estimates that $9 million is needed to complete the project, and construction is currently projected to begin in 2027 at the earliest. PP&R’s design process is scheduled to resume this summer.