New Burnside Bridge design to be decided in October

Think Out Loud

Burnside Bridge, which is nearly 100 years old, is set to undergo a five-year seismic rebuild, likely beginning in 2027. It’s a major travel route as the only bridge in Portland that touches all four quadrants of the city. Two potential designs have been put forth by Multnomah County: a tied arch bridge like the Fremont Bridge and a cable-stayed bridge like the Tilikum Bridge. Project managers asked for public input on the design back in early July. The survey was open for a month and gathered over 19,000 responses, with the majority of the public choosing a tied arch bridge. An article by architecture and design journalist Brian Libby explains that according to lead project designer Keith Brownlie, the tied arch bridge is typically the most popular design amongst a general population of non-architects. The Multnomah County Community Design Advisory Group, composed of local architects, designers and other experts, will provide a recommendation to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners who are expected to vote on the final design in October. Libby joins us to share more about the design process.