save the sauvie island bridge!
(also published on my bike blog)
Reading the Bike Portland website recently, I heard of plans to move the Sauvie Island Bridge after a new bridge is finished in 2008. Even more recently, Jonathan announced that the proposed plan of moving the old, green bridge to Northwest Portland probably wouldn't go through, due to added cost and a lack of community support.
If moved, the bridge would create a pedestrian and cyclist path across the Willamette to NW Flanders Street. In addition to making one seriously awesome bridge for all of us who love to walk and ride in that area, the relocation would also be quite a coup as far as recycling goes. I was sad to hear that murmurs from within the City Commisioner's office hinted that the plan had been shot down.
Imagine my surprise, whilst sitting on the Broadway Bridge, to hear the local news report the move was still a possibility. Checking in at Sam Adams' website confirms the rumor, and leaves me to report that anyone who is at all interested in this prospect should write, call or e-mail our favorite commisioner with their support.
If you love Portland's wonderful bridges, and would like to see one saved from the junk heap, or if you believe in all parts of the recycling slogan (reduce, reuse, recycle...), or if you're a cyclist who loves more places to ride, then I urge you to show your support of this unique idea. At the very very least, please leave a comment on Sam's blog, so he knows we want him to pursue this option.
Thanks a lot, and good luck!
typed at a moderate pace by Scout at around 5:47 PM
1 Comments:
i think a new bridge in that location would be fabulous, but since it is going to cost more to move the Sauvie than to build a new one, does the reuse/recycle model make sense in this case?
Of course, maybe it only seems cheaper to build a new one because of all the fuel/construction subsidies, and because many of the true costs, in the form of construction waste, fuel, pollution, and the dreaded Holding People Up In Traffic While Their Hard Earned Money Blows Out The Window (Except For The Little Bit They Manage To Prevent Blowing Away By Productively Engaging In Conversations (All Business Of Course) On Cellular Phones), are hidden conveniently away.
If this is the case, let us re-use! Too bad the Sauvie bridge isn't, you know, prettier. Maybe we could move the Sauvie to St Johns, and then re-purpose the St John's bridge for a ped/bike bridge. That's it! I'm calling Sam right now! Thanks for the burst of inspiration Scout!
--patrick, pedalling like a crazy man and only half-kidding
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