Springwater Corridor path will close for a week September 8th – BikePortland

Be aware of a significant closure of the Springwater Corridor Trail path in southeast Portland early next month. A 0.6-mile section between SE Johnson Creek Blvd and SE Stanley Ave will close early next month.

A reader sent us an image of a sign and said when she called the Portland General Electric number, no one she spoke to could share any details about how the closure would impact the path. “This will have a big impact on lots of people’s morning commutes (mine included) so I thought more investigation may be warranted.”

I reached out to a spokesperson at the Portland Parks Bureau, who connected me with PGE Community Engagement Manager Alex Cousins. Cousins said PGE crews are scheduled to replace four transmission poles along the Springwater between September 8th-12th. Since they are high voltage lines, the path will be closed to the public between SE Johnson Creek Blvd and SE Stanley Ave from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm on those dates. PGE will place detour signage at the location before the closure.

It will be interesting what detour they recommend, since the only direct route between these two points is SE Johnson Creek Blvd, a busy arterial that is stressful and unpleasant to bike on. Perhaps they’d consider erected temporary cones for the bike lane. If not, the option south of the trail would require quite a bit of extra distance and time. Stay tuned. I’ll post the detour here once I see it.

As for why PGE customer service reps didn’t know anything about this? The contractor put up the signs before the reps were notified. It happens sometimes!

If this is your commute route or if you ride here and you experience the detour, please keep me posted on how it goes. And thanks to reader Shyla O. the heads up and the photo.