Portland’s newest car-free bridge has a new namerino. Northwest Portland’s Flanders Crossing bridge was renamed Thursday morning in honor of the beloved ‘Simpsons’ character Ned Flanders, known best for his piousness, luscious mustache and unflaggingly positive attitude. Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees the Portland Bureau of Transportation, unveiled the new name along with Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon and Jeff Miller, the president of regional tourism bureau Travel Portland. “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening grew up in Portland and has named several characters from the long-running animated series after Portland streets. The 24-foot wide and 200-foot-long pedestrian and bicycle bridge connects Northwest Flanders Street at 15th and 16th avenues, spanning Interstate 405. It opened in June and is part of a neighborhood greenway that will ultimately stretch from the West Hills down to the Willamette River. The calls for a pedestrian bridge across I-405 date to the 1970s, when the section of the freeway first opened. Those discussions have gotten more serious in the past 15 years, and construction on the bridge began in June 2020. The bridge is designed to survive up to a 9.0-magnitude earthquake. The projected cost for the bridge grew over time, finally topping out at about $9.5 million. The project received a $2.9 million ConnectOregon grant from the state but was largely funded by fees from developers, collected through transportation system development charges. https://www.oregonlive.com/commutin...new-ned-flanders-crossing-in-nw-portland.html
