Eastbank Esplanade

The Eastbank Esplanade (officially Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade) is a pedestrian and bicycle path along the east shore of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States.[1] Running through the Kerns, Buckman, and Hosford-Abernethy neighborhoods, it was conceived as an urban renewal project to rebuild the Interstate 5 bicycle bypass washed out by the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996. It was renamed for former Portland mayor Vera Katz in November 2004[1] and features a statue of her near the Hawthorne Bridge.

The esplanade's floating section

Description

The project, designed by landscape architects Mayer/Reed, cost $30 million,[2] of which $10 million built a lower deck on the Steel Bridge.[1] The esplanade extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Steel Bridge (45.526871°N 122.670403°W / 45.526871; -122.670403 (Esplanade north end at Steel Bridge)) to the Hawthorne Bridge (45.512804°N 122.668059°W / 45.512804; -122.668059 (Esplanade south end under Hawthorne Bridge)).[1] The south end connects to the Springwater Corridor, a rail trail that runs south to Sellwood, then east to Gresham, then south to Boring. The esplanade includes a 1,200-foot (370 m) floating walkway, the longest of its kind in the United States.[1] Connected to this is a 120-foot (37 m) public dock.[1] Thirteen markers along the esplanade correspond to the eastside street grid.

History

Construction began in October 1998, and the walkway was dedicated in May 2001.[1]

The esplanade was closed for 21 days due to high river levels in 2011, the first time it had been closed since it was built.[3]

On the same day in February 2015, two dead bodies were discovered along the esplanade. The events appear to be unrelated.[4][5][6]

Public art

Public artworks installed along the esplanade include Alluvial Wall, Echo Gate, the Ghost Ship sculpture, the statue of Vera Katz and Stack Stalk.

A large section of the esplanade

See also

References
  1. "Eastbank Esplanade". City of Portland. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  2. "$30M pedestrian walkway project opens Friday". Daily Journal of Commerce. May 24, 2001. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  3. John Tierney (2011-06-20). "Eastbank Esplanade reopens after river levels drop". KATU. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  4. "2nd body found Thursday along Portland's Eastbank Esplanade, popular Willamette River path". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. "Man's body found on Willamette River bank near Eastbank Esplanade". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  6. "Police identify man found dead near Eastbank Esplanade; no signs of trauma or foul play". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 11 May 2015.

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