5 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

TriMet website:

Naming process announced for Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge

The process to officially name the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge will begin September 5 and last until next spring, with two phases of public input. This will mark the first time in the region’s history that the public will have the opportunity to suggest names for the first new bridge over the Willamette River in more than 40 years.

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[KevinKorell]

Oregonian, Portland, OR, 10/16/13:

TriMet asks Portlanders to submit names for new bridge

Now that Portland's newest bridge over the Willamette Bridge is starting to finally resemble its splendid conceptual drawings, TriMet wants the public to "help make history" by suggesting some names for the $134 million span.

Story

A few of the newspaper's suggestions are the names of companies, which would probably need some sort of corporate naming deal to have their name put on the bridge. That might not be a bad idea in terms of TriMet getting some extra revenue. But I think the leading candidates will be a little more creative.

One of the company names suggested is Orange Julius, which they say would evoke the name of the light rail line being built. On paper they may be calling this the Orange Line, but functionally it's going to be a southward extension beyond where the Yellow & Green Lines end now at PSU. The Yellow is slated to continue beyond downtown along this route to Milwaukie, while the Green will turn around where it does now.

The "Orange" name would also be misleading since the bridge will carry not only the MAX light rail line, but also the completion of the now incomplete Central Loop Streetcar.

[KevinKorell]

Two days later in the Oregonian, some reader suggestions:

TriMet's Portland-Milwaukie bridge: Readers offer up possible names

Since TriMet has sent out three news releases in two days asking the public to "help make history," we're assuming suggested names for its new transit bridge are rolling in.

See the suggestions here.

I think the newspaper is doing a disservice by their de-facto naming it the Portland-Milwaukie bridge. While that may be one working name for the whole rail line, the bridge itself does not go from Portland to Milwaukie. It's still Portland on BOTH sides of the river.

[KevinKorell]

Still making news is the move to name the new MAX/Streetcar bridge. And here is an interesting reader comment in the Oregonian, Portland, OR, 12/19/13:

Why does the light-rail bridge even need a name?

Every Portland-area resident knows perfectly well that there are two bridges over the Willamette and one over the Columbia which lack any name and which (perhaps not so incidentally) do not even appear on your standard city or metro-area road map. I refer of course to the railroad bridges.

Continue

[KevinKorell]

And finally, they have named the bridge. From Progressive Railroading, 417/14:

TriMet unveils new name for Portland-Milwaukie light-rail bridge

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) announced yesterday that its bridge naming committee has selected a name for the new Portland-Milwaukie light-rail bridge: "Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People."

Now that's a mouthful. I think it's going to unfortunately keep one of its generic names, at least in the minds of the passengers. Here's the story.

[EvergreenRailfan]

One of the boats in the fleet of Washington State Ferries has that name, but is soon to be headed for retirement.