Tilikum Crossing
| Tilikum Crossing | |
|---|---|
The bridge in 2016 with a MAX light rail train crossing it
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| Coordinates | 45°30′18″N 122°40′01″W / 45.5049°N 122.6670°WCoordinates: 45°30′18″N 122°40′01″W / 45.5049°N 122.6670°W |
| Carries | TriMet MAX light rail and buses; Portland Streetcar Loop Service; bicycles and pedestrians |
| Crosses | Willamette River |
| Locale | Portland, Oregon |
| Official name | Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People |
| Owner | TriMet |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | cable-stayed |
| Total length | 1,720 feet (520 m) |
| Height | 180 feet (55 m) |
| Longest span | 780 feet (240 m) |
| No. of spans | 5 |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| Clearance below | 77.5 feet (23.6 m) |
| History | |
| Architect | Donald MacDonald |
| Designer | T.Y. Lin International |
| Construction begin | June 2011 |
| Construction end | 2014 (of bridge only, not surface infrastructure) |
| Opened | September 12, 2015 |
Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was designed by TriMet, the Portland metropolitan area's regional transit authority, for its MAX Orange Line light rail passenger trains. The bridge also serves city buses and the Portland Streetcar, as well as bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Private cars and trucks are not permitted on the bridge. It is the first major bridge in the U.S. that was designed to allow access to transit vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians but not cars.
Construction began in 2011, and the bridge was officially opened on September 12, 2015. In homage to Native American civilizations, the bridge was named after the local Chinook word for people. The Tilikum Crossing was the first new bridge to be opened across the Willamette River in the Portland metropolitan area since 1973.
Tilikum Crossing has its western terminus in the city's South Waterfront area, and stretches across the river to the Central Eastside district. In the 21st century, these two industrial zones have been evolving into mixed residential and commercial neighborhoods, and new transit accommodations are required by the growing populations. Both districts, however, are limited by antiquated road infrastructure that was deemed incapable of handling the increased traffic that could be expected from a conventional automobile bridge. The primary rationale for the bridge was thus "first and foremost as a conduit for a light-rail line."
The bridge is south of, and approximately parallel to, the Marquam Bridge. The west "landing" is midway between the Marquam and Ross Island Bridges, and the east landing is just north of Southeast Caruthers Street, with the east approach viaduct reaching the surface at the west end of Sherman Street, which the tracks follow to a new Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) MAX station located near an existing Portland Streetcar station and the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.
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