TILIKUM CROSSING

Portland, Oregon

Tilikum Crossing, known locally as the Bridge of the People, is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. The bridge is the largest non-vehicular bridge in North America, conveying cyclists and pedestrians together with transit, but with no private automobiles. Donald MacDonald Architects (DMD) translated the local community preferences for the pedestrian and bicycle pathways on both sides of the bridge to serve as a place-making model of urban revitalization and an agent for advancing world-class urban transformation. Two center transit lanes are provided for light rail, buses, and streetcar use, along with two 14-foot wide bicycle and pedestrian paths located on the edges of the bridge, outside of the cable stays for improved visibility. The bridge was completed in early 2015, on time and under budget.

Learn more about the design of this project in Donald MacDonald’s book, here.

Client – Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon
Location – Portland, Oregon
Timeline – 2008-2015
Bridge Engineer – HNTB, TY-Lin
Overall Length – 1,720′
Main Span – 780′
Spans – 5
Deck Width – 75.5′
Tower Height – 180′
Cost – $130M

Additional Media On This Project

DMD worked with the community to develop an aesthetic vocabulary for the bridge inspired by Mount Hood.

DMD led the aesthetic design efforts on the specific shape and detailing of the towers, including the twin pylons cross-sectional shape, their tapering in elevation, their surface treatments, and the specific pile cap shape at their base. Additional aesthetic details, such as the deck profile and cable anchorages, were also explored throughout the design process.

Throughout the entire project, DMD has worked closely with TriMet’s public relations and community outreach departments to harness the feedback and passion of the various Portland advocacy groups to ensure that the project would not be derailed by local politics. DMD’s active role in public relations allowed the public to understand the aesthetics of the bridge and its relation to the other Portland bridges. Participation in over fifteen public hearings, design charettes, meetings with local interest groups, including the Portland AIA, and attendance at multiple design workshops have been crucial elements of the design phase of this bridge.

Awards

2016 Gold Award Structural Systems; American Council of Engineering Companies

2016 National Honor Award for Engineering Excellence; American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

2016 Project of the Year; American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon (ACEC-OR)

2016 People’s Choice Awards; American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon (ACEC-OR)

2016 Outstanding Achievement Award of Excellence; Portland Cement Association (PCA)

2016 Best Highway/Bridge Project Award; Engineering News-Record (ENR)

2015 Bridge Award of Excellence; American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI)

2015 Excellence in Concrete Award; Oregon Concrete & Aggregate Producers Association (OCAPA)