Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Hikers, dog walkers and runners on Portland’s famed Wildwood Trail will no longer have to dash across a busy road on their way through Washington Park.

On Sunday a new pedestrian bridge over West Burnside Road officially opened to the public, and by Monday morning it was already busy with activity.

Dubbed the Barbara Walker Crossing, the bridge opened Sunday with a ceremony that included a parade and all-you-can-eat pancakes. It was the culmination of three years of planning and fundraising, including seven months of construction that cut off a portion of the Wildwood Trail over the summer.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Portland’s iconic hiking trail runs roughly 30 miles through Forest Park, past Pittock Mansion and into Washington Park, where it begins near the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial. It’s considered one of the longest urban hiking trails in the country.

The Barbara Walker Crossing is on a section of trail between the Hoyt Arboretum and Pittock Mansion. It curves gently overtop West Burnside Road, naturally leading from one forested hillside to another without requiring the use of any stairs. The bridge is sturdy, though bouncy when runners go across.

An estimated 80,000 pedestrians will use the crossing every year, according to the Portland Parks Foundation, as about 20,000 drivers pass underneath each day.

The new span is named in honor of local parks champion Barbara Walker, who had a hand in most of Portland's biggest parks projects, including Waterfront Park and Pioneer Courthouse Square. Her advocacy started in 1968, when she and a group of neighbors helped save a wooded ravine from development, preserving it as Marquam Nature Park. Walker died in 2014.



The Portland Parks Foundation led the project, working with Portland Parks & Recreation, the Portland Bureau of Transportation and Metro. The nonprofit foundation raised two-thirds of the bridge's $3.2 million cost, receiving contributions from more than 900 individuals as well as local philanthropic foundations. The city of Portland paid $850,000 toward the project, while Metro chipped in $200,000.



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian