Portland’s 30-mile Wildwood Trail suffers a major flaw: its crossing at Burnside Road. With an average 18,000 vehicles passing daily, hikers are forced to dodge traffic in their pursuit of nature. The Footbridge over Burnside would enhance access to nature by making this crossing safe. Over 80,000 runners, hikers, walkers, and schoolchildren each year navigate this dangerous crossing as 20,000 cars flash past each day.
The Footbridge over Burnside will be named in honor of longtime Portland parks advocate and community activist Barbara Walker. Over 40 years, Walker worked tirelessly to preserve and expand Portland’s now famed urban wilderness. She was one of the driving forces behind many of the city’s landmark public spaces, including Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Springwater Corridor, the Eastbank Esplanade, and the metropolitan trail system known today as The Intertwine.
The current plan is to break ground in the winter of 2019. To learn more visit Portland Parks Foundation’s website.