The Portland Bureau of Transportation says the Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge will open for traffic on July 31.

PBOT says the bike- and pedestrian-only bridge will provide "a car-free connection between two of the Rose City's fastest growing neighborhoods."

PBOT will host a community gathering to celebrate the formal opening of the new crossing on July 31.

The festivities will include a variety of community-led bike rides. "New plazas on the north and south sides of the bridge, as well as nearby destinations in the Lloyd District and Central Eastside, will have pop-up block parties with a variety of local vendors and organizations," PBOT said in a news release.

Local bike, transportation and economic development groups The Central Eastside Industrial Council and Go Lloyd, along with The Street Trust and Friends of the Green Loop, are organizing people who may want to take part in street fairs and group bike rides the day of the celebration.

Local leaders, including Blumenauer and Portland Transportation Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, will speak.

This new bridge will be 475-feet long and 24-feet wide, spanning over seven lanes of I-84 traffic, an active railroad line, and Sullivan's Gulch. The completed bridge will have a 10-foot wide pedestrian path and a 14-foot wide path for two-way bicycle traffic.

The bridge will be seismically resilient and serve as a backup route for emergency vehicles over I-84 in the event of an earthquake. In addition to the bridge, the project includes two new public plazas and landings on the north and south sides of the bridge.

What: Community celebration and Blumenauer Bridge opening ceremony.

When: 11:30 am, Sunday, July 31. Visitors are encouraged to arrive by 11:30 a.m.

Where: The Northeast Seventh Avenue and Flanders Street intersection on the south side of the bridge. The Northeast Seventh Avenue and Lloyd Boulevard intersection will provide access to the north side.

For updates contact PBOT