The city of Wilsonville is seeking public input on the design of the proposed French Prairie Bike & Ped Bridge across the Willamette River. If the project is realized, the bridge would provide a safe connection for hikers, cyclists and emergency vehicles between Wilsonville and Aurora, Donald and Canby.
Officials are asking the public to pick one of two bridge designs, Cable-stayed and Suspension bridge, which were selected for their low impact on waterways and the ability to serve as a memorable landmark. The online survey will feature additional bridge design information and photo realistic images of the two bridge types at the selected bridge location.
Cable-Stayed Bridge
Suspension Bridge
The survey is now live at https://survey.participate.online/s3/FPB-Spring. Online voting will continue through May 5.
Right now, the main option across the Willamette River is the frequently congested Boones Ferry Bridge on I-5, which carries over 120,000 vehicles every day and provides cyclists and pedestrians with no separation from traffic due to substandard shoulder widths.
The proposed bridge would provide a connection for the 1,000 miles of existing multiuse trails that stretch across three counties, including the 134-mile Willamette Valley scenic bikeway to Eugene.
Traffic backups can also impact emergency response time, and the proposed French Prairie Bridge would provide an I-5 incident response option for emergency responders. The French Prairie bridge would be located adjacent to the existing bridge, connecting Boones Ferry Road in Wilsonville with Butteville Road in Aurora.
