Multi-use Walkway Brings Community Connectivity to Milwaukie
September, 2020
The City of Milwaukie, Oregon has submitted an application for APWA’s Oregon Chapter Project of the Year for the Kronberg Park Multiuse Walkway that was designed by a team from Otak’s Vancouver office. The walkway was completed in May of this year. 
The project was a combination pathway and elevated structure designed as a connection for pedestrians and bicycles between downtown Milwaukie and McLoughlin Boulevard. The new path eliminates the need for people and cyclists to cross a busy highway. It also provides a viewpoint and rest stop midway along the corridor. Overall it encompasses a 340-foot long bridge, a 60-foot shorter bridge, and an at-grade pathway.
Scott Nettleton was the bridge design lead for Otak, working alongside project manager Chuck Green, Sam Lozano, who did civil design, and Josh Pope who worked on the shorter bridge.
The steel girder bridges with concrete decks and steel handrails were designed to curve around the trees, minimizing the need for tree removal. “It’s made to feel that you’re up in the canopy of the trees,” Nettleton said. Bridges were needed because the path runs next to Kellogg Creek Lake which can flow up over its banks.
The project was not without challenges. The site itself sits over an old construction landfill and deep underground there is a 40-year old masonry sewer line. Both of these factors complicated pile arrangements and driving for the bridge as the obstacles had to be avoided. Predrilling had to occur for some of the piles.
Another challenge was to comply with the migratory bird season work stoppages while still remaining on time and budget. With the City and Otak’s experience from previous projects, they identified a solution to set up construction fencing to prevent migratory bird nesting in the disturbance area. 
In other environmental protection measures, the path width was held to 10 feet, permeable materials were used, a balance between cut and fill was maintained, and there was maximum tree preservation.
Through Otak’s experience and skill with bridge design and engineering, the City of Milwaukie was able to complete this community connection that was first identified as a community need in the Kronberg Park Master Plan of 2014.