Task Force to Recommend Preferred Design for French Prairie Bike & Ped Bridge on June 4

The French Prairie Bridge Task Force will meet at 6 p.m. June 4 to consider additional bridge analysis and public input on design concepts for the proposed French Prairie Bike & Ped Bridge across the Willamette River. The Task Force is expected to recommend a preferred bridge design for consideration by the Clackamas Board of County Commissioners and the Wilsonville City Council.

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. At the Task Force Meeting, the project team will provide an overview of the preferred bridge design location selection and bridge type refinement, additional technical analysis of the cable-stayed and suspension bridge types, and a summary of the public feedback received through a recent online survey.

Respondents were asked 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

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.

The June 4 meeting will be held at Wilsonville City Hall, 29799 SW Town Center Loop E. All Task Force meetings are open to the public. Additional project documents can be found at the project website library at http://frenchprairiebridgeproject.org/resources/.

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