The sidewalk and/or bike lane on the Lyon Street Bridge, shown on June 22, 2025, would be turned into a “multi-use path” under a city proposal.
As someone who occasionally rides a bike across the Willamette River on Highway 20, I was interested in the news that ODOT is willing to spend money to study the idea of a “multi-use path” on the Lyon Street Bridge.
I wonder whether this is a good idea.
As part of the planning for an eventual Albany-Corvallis bikeway, the City of Albany asked for $693,000 for the Lyon Street Bridge segment under the Oregon Community Paths Program. The money would go for “project refinement,” not construction.
ODOT has recommended that Albany be awarded $419,000 for this refinement. The Oregon Transportation Commission may take action on the recommendation next month.
ODOT says it has $61 million in federal funds available over two years for community paths, $6 million of which is for “refinement” of projects. By “refinement,” I assume we’re talking about studying a project’s feasibility and likely construction costs.
Biking across the Lyon Street Bridge makes you sweat on the climb up from First Avenue but is otherwise easy and safe. The wide shoulder serves as a good bike lane. Speeding down the north side, riders can do the same as motor traffic, either turning right on Spring Hill or going straight through the green light toward North Albany Road.
It’s hard to see how turning the sidewalk or the highway shoulder, or both, into a multi-use path would improve this crossing.
Mixing foot and bike traffic is a bad idea anyway, but especially so in places where bikes go down hill at more than 20 miles an hour. Then, when riders reach the junction with Spring Hill, complications would ensue. Bike riders who now continue on Highway 20 could no longer do so.
One idea behind this notion seems to be that southbound bike traffic would use a multi-use path on the Lyon bridge rather than taking either the right lane or the sidewalk on the Ellsworth Street Bridge. But that would mean riders crossing four lanes first, going uphill across a super-elevated highway, and then contending with two-way traffic on the path.
In his Friday report to the city council last week, City Manager Peter Troedsson wote, “This project will provide a connection between Albany’s historic downtown on the south side of the Willamette River across the Lyon Street Bridge to North Albany.”
The connection already exists, and it works pretty well. It could work even better with minor changes.
ODOT could improve the Lyon Street Bridge by spending a fraction of that “refinement” grant on putting down reflectors or round pavement markers to clearly separate the lane for bikes. (hh)
I would appreciate more bike/pedestrian safe options in Albany. My family often defaults to the car because I’m not comfortable having my kids ride bikes that close to traffic. Would be nice to have some sort of separation.
I think the bigger issue is developing a well designed network around town so that the bike lanes and sidewalks don’t just end abruptly forcing cyclists/pedestrians to use the road or turn around.
As a seasoned bridge crosser and two-wheeled adventurer, I’ve developed a simple philosophy: Sidewalk in, bike lane out. Why? Because playing “Dodge the Pickup with Road Rage” isn’t on my morning bingo card.
Heading into town, I take the sidewalk. It’s peaceful, scenic, and, most importantly, I like not dying. Coming out? The bike lane works—if you enjoy navigating a glittering gauntlet of broken glass and mystery debris. Ever skidded on a bottle cap? Thrilling.
Could we maybe schedule a weekly street cleaning? Just once. A little broom-broom from the city could save a lot of ouch-ouch for the rest of us. It’s only one side of the bridge. And with the cash saved, how about fixing that First Street corner so cars don’t swerve into the bike lane like they’re auditioning for a Fast & Furious spin-off? Maybe fix the side walk so we can enter onto the bridge without entering 1st street first.
About 10 years ago, I confronted Ron Irish about the filth in the bike lanes, specifically many inches depth of small nuts (acorns or filberts? which seem to happen every other year) in the vicinity of PETCO. Anything that was a State Hwy, he wouldn’t touch. His answer was to call ODOT. Since this was at one of those useless “Bike Committee” meetings, I just said in a loud voice it’s a SAFETY HAZARD”. He was visibly upset, because it meant he couldn’t ignore it.
Another problem is when they sweep, they sweep down the center of the lane. Because of the camber, all the crap ends up next to the curb where it really needs to be swept if they actually were serious.
Leave it just the way it is. Spend that money elsewhere where it’s really in needed
Rather than pay for expensive “refinements”, why not just require bicyclists to get off their bikes and walk them across the current “sidewalk” on the bridge that Oregon taxpayers have already so generously provided. In a country saddled with trillions in debt, why should taxpayers underwrite the fantasies of a pitiful few bicyclists who believe the world owes them.
Now we need to pay consultants over half a million dollars to study it and come to the same conclusion you did in 15 minutes.
got a tire puncture on Lyon Bridge crossing yesterday. Wondering how often ODOT sweeps Hwy 20?
As Hasso’s picture shows, does it really matter if they don’t sweep next to the curb?
I ride Highway 20 from Albany to Corvallis regularly. For over a month, a line of broken glass has stretched across the entire bike lane just before Grainger. Someone attempted to sweep it—only to leave behind a perfectly sculpted ridge of glass, like a booby trap for cyclists.
Last year, I shredded a brand-new tire on this same highway—three punctures, all from glass.
We keep hearing about investments in new bike infrastructure. But what’s the point of building new paths if we can’t even maintain the ones we already have? Safety shouldn’t be optional. If this were a hazard in a car lane, it would’ve been cleared in hours—not left for weeks to endanger anyone on two wheels.
For over 3 years I’ve biked to/from work, just about everyday. This includes both bridges.
Going into downtown, normally it has to be the sidewalk since having trucks and busses is super tight on the road (and the light doesn’t work). Many drivers that turn on 1st don’t use a blinker, so have to be careful there. Downtown does have a good share of glass and debris that the sweeper doesn’t get (when it is running) and one tries to not slow down vehicles since there is no bike lane.
Going to North Albany is a pain. That bike lane is terrible with crap. I had emailed the city about it before Hasso’s last year’s article on debris. It did get cleaned but after some car accidents and junk getting tossed, it is bad again. Having to stop and walk through it or vear into traffic are the options. I do disagree about the Springhill intersection with Hasso. It is dangerous. I watched my wife almost get crunched twice and probably every other week a vehicle can’t be patient and just pulls in behind or forgets where I am after passing for a quick few seconds. Too many close calls.
Overall, Albany has pretty good bike infrastructure (excluding the Springhill intersection) but cleaning is just not done often enough