Live Freeways: Final Alignment
Just One More Lane, Bro!
You’ve heard of the Dead Freeways Ride exploring the Portland freeways we’ve never built or removed entirely, but what about all the freeways that did get built? Did you know that the majority of Portland-area freeways are legally open to bikes and non-motorized vehicles? Did you know that you can legally bike onto the freeway in Portland and bike all of the way to Oregon City (or even Medford) before having to exit?
A representative from the Bureau of John Russell will be on hand to familiarize everyone with the intricacies of OAR 734-20-0045: Prohibition of Non-Motorized Vehicles on Freeways. He’ll show you the ropes, having ridden every mile of freeway in Western Oregon himself. Since the original route in 2019, the Bureau of John Russell has led Live Freeways on a group ride of every segment of freeway open to bikes in the Portland metro area!
Meet at 11, ride at 11:30 AM. We’ll be starting in SW Portland at the Goose Hollow MAX Station (SW 18th & Jefferson). For the main portion of the ride, we’ll climb over the West Hills on US 26 before getting to ride the entire length of the newly widened OR 217. We’ll continue onto I-5 on the widest segment of freeway in all of Oregon before taking a more scenic route via the comparatively bucolic I-205 where we can stop for lunch in Oregon City. From there, enjoy an optional return route of under 20 miles back to Portland mostly via Expressways, hopefully in time for Bike Play (Oregon Park @ 6:45 PM).
In total, the ride will be under 50 miles, but if you find out that freeway riding isn’t for you, there will be multiple opportunities to exit with connections to transit. While the route may not fully loop, we will connect to TriMet on each end, so please bring appropriate fare unless you want to bike the whole way home.
Please RSVP if possible, as time and details are subject to change:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1514988590000292/
Come have fun and ride the roads you never thought you could!
Time and details subject to change.
If you’ve been asked not to attend *any* rides on the Shift calendar, you are not welcome on this ride.
Text and explanation of OAR 734-20-0045:
https://www.tcnf.legal/freewayright/
Map of Portland-area freeways closed to bikes:
http://goo.gl/maps/Bc9Xxhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-motorized_access_on_freeways
OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes Project:
https://www.hwy217.org
Original 2019 route available here:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29470914
