The public is invited to the second meeting of the Policy Group for the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge study on Wednesday, August 23 from 3:30 – 5 p.m. at the Multnomah Building, first floor Board Room, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. The agenda includes time for public comment.
Multnomah County is conducting a feasibility study that will be completed in the fall of 2018. The study is examining options to create a resilient lifeline crossing over the Willamette River in the event of a major earthquake. Providing a way to get across the Willamette River after an earthquake will be critical for emergency response, reuniting families, and helping our community recover.
The Policy Group includes agency leaders and elected officials who will review the feasibility study findings. Members will provide their agency’s or constituents’ perspectives through development of project alternatives and evaluation criteria. Members include elected officials from Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County, the cities of Portland, Gresham and Beaverton, Metro, the Oregon legislature, staff from Oregon’s congressional delegation, and officials from the Oregon Department of Transportation, TriMet, Portland Development Commission and Federal Highway Administration. Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson co-chair the Policy Group.
The group’s input will advise the project team as they work through the process of narrowing a long list of Willamette River crossing concepts to a shorter list of feasible alternatives that will be studied during the National Environmental Policy Act phase of the project.
The meeting agenda includes:
- A project update and schedule review
- Review of the alternatives screening process and screening results
- Review of how the remaining alternatives will be evaluated
There are several transit options near the Multnomah Building, including Portland Streetcar (PSU via Pearl), Stop ID: 13616 and TriMet buses #6, 4, 10, 14, 15, Stop ID: 3633, 2643.
For more information, visit www.burnsidebridge.org. Meeting materials will be posted to the website after the meeting.