Tilikum Crossing
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.
Tilikum Crossing | |
|---|---|
The bridge in 2016 with a MAX light rail train crossing it | |
| Coordinates | 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 start | June 2011 |
| Construction end | 2014 (of bridge only, not surface infrastructure) |
| Opened | September 12, 2015 |
| Location | |
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 the Fremont Bridge, in 1973.