Eastbank Esplanade
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The Eastbank Esplanade (officially Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade) is a pedestrian and bicycle path along the east shore of the Willamette River in the Kerns, Buckman, and Hosford-Abernethy neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon. It was conceived as an urban renewal project to rebuild the Interstate 5 bicycle bypass washed out by the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996. It was renamed for former Portland mayor Vera Katz in November 2004.
The project was designed by landscape architects Mayer/Reed. The total cost of the project was $30 million, of which $10 million was spent to build a lower deck on the Steel Bridge. Construction began in October of 1998 and the walkway was dedicated on May 25, 2001.
It extends 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Steel Bridge to the Hawthorne Bridge. The esplanade contains a 1,200 ft (366 m) long floating walkway, the longest in the United States. Connected to this is a 120 ft (37 m) long public dock. There are also 13 markers that correspond to the eastside street grid.
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