Trimet Bridge Talk

Two experts discuss details of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge.

A new icon is being built across the Willamette River in Portland: a transit bridge that will connect eastside and westside, carrying light rail trains, buses, streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians. At more than 1,700 feet across, it will be the longest car-free bridge in the country. Join the new bridge’s designer and architect, Donald MacDonald, and the chair of the Bridge Naming Committee, Chet Orloff, for a discussion and Q&A about the design and naming of the new bridge.

MacDonald has successfully completed designs for more than 35 bridges throughout the United States, and is the architect of the recently completed East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Orloff is director emeritus of the Oregon Historical Society and a 22-year member of the Oregon Geographic Names Board. He also manages the Pamplin International Collection of Art and History and is an adjunct professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University.