A landslide has led to the closure of West Burnside, which will remain closed until trees, power lines and other debris can be cleared. The roadway may reopen by Monday morning, Jan. 18.
At about 11 p.m. Tuesday night, a landslide pushed what appears to be hundreds of cubic yards of debris from Forest Park onto West Burnside. About a half dozen large trees are down, with others looming over the roadway. At least one appears to be leaning on the Barbara Walker Crossing, Portland Parks & Recreation’s pedestrian bridge that opened in 2019 to safely connect the popular Wildwood Trail across West Burnside.
Electric utility crews are securing the area today, removing power lines and poles. Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry crews expect to need around two days of work to clear the trees. It could take additional days for PBOT crews to clear the remaining debris in and alongside the roadway, clear debris and trees that threaten the road, and make the hillside safe. A guardrail appears to be damaged and drainage ditches in the area are overflowing.
Drivers should use alternate routes, including U.S. 26, U.S. 30 and NW Cornell Road. Use extreme caution on detour routes nearest the closure, which may include narrow streets in the area.
Eastbound traffic is detoured at Skyline Road. Westbound traffic is detoured at SW Tichner Drive.
Trees and other debris created disruptions across Portland. Northwest Germantown Road is closed between Skyline and U.S. 30, SW Council Crest is closed between Beaverton Ave and Chehalem Ave, and SW Montgomery is closed from SW Vista to SW 16th Ave. Work on those incidents is on-going and estimates on reopening are not available.
The City expects that the Barbara Walker Crossing and the adjacent portions of Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R)’s Wildwood Trail will need to remain closed for about a week. We ask that people help us respond safely and swiftly to this emergency by staying out of the area. Before the trail and bridge can safely open, PGE must complete their work to alleviate any electrical safety issues, Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry crews must remove all trees and branches, and the City must complete a structural engineering assessment on the bridge, which is stationed above West Burnside. PP&R will post updates on social media and on our Trail Closures page, portland.gov/parks/nature/trail-closures-and-delays.