Portland’s bridges are normally places people cross because they have somewhere else to be. For one Sunday each August, several of those bridges become the destination themselves.
Thousands of cyclists and walkers took to the streets of Portland Sunday for the 30th annual Providence Bridge Pedal and Stride, a summertime tradition that provides participants with an opportunity rarely available during the rest of the year: traveling across some of the city’s largest Willamette River bridges without the normal flow of freeway traffic surrounding them.
The Aug. 9 event temporarily closed or restricted portions of seven bridges while cyclists followed routes through downtown Portland and along the Willamette River. The event included recreational rides for adults and families, a free ride for young children and a five-mile walking route, giving participants several ways to experience a part of Portland that is usually seen through a windshield.
Bridge Pedal began in 1996 and has developed into a recognizable part of Portland’s summer calendar. Rather than operating as a competitive bicycle race, the event is organized as a community ride centered on Portland, bicycling and the bridges connecting the east and west sides of the city.
Its 30th anniversary offered a reminder of what has allowed the event to endure. Portland has numerous bridges spanning the Willamette, but several of its largest crossings are interstate highway structures where bicycles and pedestrians ordinarily cannot travel. Bridge Pedal creates a controlled period when portions of that infrastructure can be experienced differently.
The Fremont and Marquam bridges are among the event’s defining attractions.
The Fremont Bridge carries Interstate 405 high above the Willamette River and central Portland, while the Marquam Bridge carries Interstate 5 across the river immediately south of downtown. Their upper decks were temporarily closed to regular motor vehicle traffic Sunday morning as participants moved through routes incorporating the freeway bridges.
For cyclists accustomed to seeing those structures only from a vehicle, Bridge Pedal provides an unusual perspective of Portland’s skyline, riverfront, neighborhoods and surrounding landscape.
The longest organized route this year was the 23-mile Fremont Express. Participants received early-morning access to the Fremont Bridge, where a sunrise breakfast preceded the ride. From there, cyclists traveled through a course that incorporated the Fremont, Marquam, Sellwood, Hawthorne, Ross Island and Steel bridges, with several bridges crossed more than once during the nine-crossing route.
The 20-mile Main Ride provided another extensive tour of the river crossings, beginning along Southwest Naito Parkway and incorporating eight bridge crossings. A 13-mile Family Ride offered a shorter alternative while still taking participants across six bridges.
Walking was part of the celebration as well.
The five-mile Bridge Stride included crossings of the Fremont and Steel bridges, allowing people who were not interested in completing a bicycle route to participate. The three-mile Kids Pedal provided a free event for younger cyclists and included the Hawthorne and Steel bridges.
A six-bridge challenge was also available for younger riders capable of completing the longer series of crossings.
The event was built to accommodate a range of ages and cycling experience rather than a single class of athlete. Electric bicycles were permitted, although electric scooters were not. Helmets were required for participating cyclists, and registration was required even for children participating in the free Kids Pedal.
Organizers also positioned bicycle mechanics along the course to assist riders experiencing mechanical problems. Additional mechanics traveled with participants and could stop to help cyclists along the route.
Music and entertainment have become part of the Bridge Pedal tradition. This year’s activities included drummers on the Fremont Bridge and marimba music on the Marquam Bridge, adding another element to areas normally dominated by highway traffic.
Making that experience possible required substantial temporary changes to Portland’s transportation network.
The upper deck of the Fremont Bridge was closed during the morning, as was the upper deck of the Marquam Bridge. The Steel Bridge was closed to motorized traffic until noon, while eastbound traffic was restricted on the Morrison and Hawthorne bridges. Westbound lanes of the Ross Island Bridge were temporarily closed.
The Sellwood Bridge remained open to motor vehicles, although bicycle and pedestrian access was temporarily affected by the event. The St. Johns, Broadway and Burnside bridges remained open in both directions.
Southwest Naito Parkway, which serves as a central corridor for Bridge Pedal activities, was also closed for much of the morning.
The disruptions are temporary, with most bridge restrictions ending by late morning or noon and other event-related closures concluding during the early afternoon.
For residents elsewhere in Oregon, Bridge Pedal is also an example of an event that can be planned as a Portland day trip or weekend visit.
Southern Oregon residents considering participating in a future Bridge Pedal face a considerably earlier start because the longest routes begin in the morning. The Fremont Express is particularly early, with access to the Fremont Bridge beginning around sunrise. Travelers coming from communities such as Grants Pass, Medford, Roseburg or other distant parts of the state would likely need to plan their Portland travel accordingly.
Those who missed the 30th anniversary event still have reason to keep Bridge Pedal in mind when planning a future Oregon summer trip. The event has been held annually as a signature August activity, although future dates, routes, registration prices and bridge arrangements remain subject to each year’s event planning and should be confirmed when the next schedule is announced.
The variety of routes also means participation does not necessarily require preparation for a 20-mile bicycle ride. Families with young children can choose the Kids Pedal, recreational cyclists can select shorter routes, experienced riders can tackle the longer courses, and people who would rather explore on foot can participate in the Bridge Stride.
For visitors, the event offers something that cannot easily be recreated during an ordinary Portland weekend.
Portland’s bridges are a major part of the city’s transportation system and physical identity. They carry interstate highways, commuters, freight, buses, bicycles and pedestrians across the Willamette every day. During Bridge Pedal, several of those same structures temporarily serve another purpose.
For a few hours on a Sunday morning, cyclists can ride where interstate traffic normally travels, children can pedal across bridges as part of their own organized route and walkers can experience the Fremont Bridge at a pace that allows them to see the city rather than simply pass through it.
Thirty years after the first Bridge Pedal was held in 1996, that unusual access remains at the center of the event.
When the final participants crossed the finish area along Southwest Naito Parkway Sunday and Portland’s bridges gradually returned to their everyday transportation duties, another Bridge Pedal entered the city’s history.
For Oregonians who missed it this year, the annual tradition provides something to consider when next summer’s travel calendar begins taking shape: one Sunday when Portland’s bridges are not simply the way across the river, but part of the experience itself.