Now. We're back to the series of photos which I am sharing about the changes in the intersection at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, either as part of the curve between the eastbound and westbound ramps at SE Grand or as the circle of earth between them, which is also bordered on the west by what is now SE MLK.
![DSC_0139p_SE_Madison_SE_Grand_Hawthorne_Bridge_ramp](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6397894959_6000efc4c0_o.jpg)
There's a whole lot going on in this photo. I love it. So, these two morning commuters on SE Madison are heading west towards the Hawthorne Bridge proper. Once they cross SE Grand Avenue, running left to right on the photo, they will soon go over the Willamette River and be in downtown Portland. Between them you see dug-up pavement, some sort of heavy equipment which surely moves and/or digs, the orange-and-white traffic bollards, and the workers' port-a-potty. Notice the white plastic on the pavement, almost hidden by the bicyclist? It is covering concrete-filled forms which now extend south from this westbound ramp to the eastbound ramp, creating a curb which prevents vehicles from driving hell-bent-for-leather around the curve, coming east and going west in a loop. You can see one of those vehicles, a white SUV, here in Monday’s photo. Now in order to make that loop, drivers will actually make two left turns. The curve has been obliterated, redesigned as part of the Streetcar Eastside Loop project. One more really neat thing. See the bit of turquoise and white, just about in the low center of the photo, in the opening between the trees? That is the roof of a TriMet bus, the #6. It has just come off one-way, southbound SE MLK, and will either stop at the bus stop there beside the Hawthorne Bridge, or it will just continue around the loop and head up onto the westbound ramp and take its passengers over the bridge into downtown. You can see it's route on Monday’s photo, too. It tightly curves closest to the snowy evergreen shrubs. Those shrubs are now removed. Knowing that the roof of the bus is just about even with the roadway gives you an idea of the difference in elevation between the two parallel streets, SE MLK and SE Grand.
![DSC_0144p_eastbound_Hawthorne_Bridge_ramp_SE_Hawthorne_SE_Grand](http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6059/6398050129_1428b5ac23_o.jpg)
Quite a bit going on in this photo, too. The TriMet bus is stopped at the traffic signal, heading east off the bridge ramp onto SE Hawthorne Blvd., after it crosses SE Grand, the street going left to right across the bottom of the photo. The last white car on the right in the stopped traffic is at the spot where vehicles used to be able to curve left to make the loop back west. Now you can see black plastic covering the forms-and-concrete curb that has been installed to prevent traffic from flowing that way. And you can see the rest of the white plastic covering the southmost end of that new curb. I have to tell you, that I couldn't figure out what would come next because there has never been any pedestrian traffic allowed on that west side of SE Grand. Curious over here.
5 comments:
Lynette, lets be sure to link this to Sunday Bridges when it posts this weekend. (0001 hrs central Europe time Sunday)
You cover your photo projects so well and in great detail, that I'm starting to think I have probably lived there before! For the people that have, I bet they are really enjoying all the goings on.
Love the old lamppost.
I bet all of this construction can be a real stressful mess during rush hours. There really is a lot going on. I immediately noticed the port-a-john. Can’t have a worksite with out them...thought last night I noticed a pro football player peeing there on the sideline. That definitely was a first for me :-) Hope to be in Portland this summer. It is a gorgeous part of the USA. genie
hee hee...
Belatedly, «Louis» thanks you for linking this with Sunday Bridges.
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