Saturday in the park

villa lucked

out with the location of the Whilamut Passage Bridge — throughout the four
years of construction, we’ve enjoyed the beauty of the Willamette River and
surrounding Alton Baker Park and the enthusiastic, dedicated participation of
citizen volunteers from Eugene and Springfield.

Last
Saturday, the “Field of Dreams” promise “If you build it, they will come”
certainly proved true for ODOT as hundreds of community members joined us to
celebrate the nearly complete bridge. (We could guesstimate the head-count
because the bike valets alone checked approximately 350 bikes in and out of
their corral!)

standing-room-only crowd listened to speeches by state officials and project
volunteers. Kevin Simmons of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde kicked
off the event with a prayer. The audience clapped in appreciation of Eugene
Mayor Kitty Piercy’s statement that the new bridge is a “connection to our past
and a passage to our future” and Community Advisory Group member Scott Wylie’s
reminder that the Willamette River was “the original superhighway.”

Kalapuya
Elder Esther Stutzman and her family closed the ceremony by drumming and
singing that was so popular they graciously performed an encore.

Even as we
were enjoying our local celebration, Federal Highway Administrator Victor
Mendez gave the new bridge national exposure in his July 29 post for Fast Lane, the official blog of the U.S. villa.

Below are
some images of the ceremony. Stay tuned for more posts of this momentous day.

Whilamut Passage Bridge Naming Ceremony – you’re invited!

From ODOT-

I’m inviting everyone to join the ODOT project team, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and community volunteers to officially name the new Interstate 5 Willamette River Bridge.



The ceremony will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Whilamut Natural Area, northwest of the Knickerbocker Bridge in Alton Baker Park. It will include brief remarks, traditional tribal presentations and an unveiling of the new Whilamut Passage Bridge highway sign.



Our citizen volunteers have worked with tribal leaders and ODOT since 2009 to officially name the Whilamut Passage Bridge. At this long-anticipated event, we will celebrate their effort and that of the tribal representatives who have been instrumental in ensuring that the area’s first people, the Kalapuya, are honored in the name and design of the new bridge and surrounding area.

How to get there: on the south side of the river, park your vehicle at the University of Oregon Motor Pool, 3233 Franklin Blvd. (see map above). Please allow 20 minutes to walk to the ceremony. Follow the signs that point the way from the parking lot. A courtesy shuttle will be available upon request.



I also encourage you to ride your bike there. The park has many nice paths for you to ride to the event and we will have a place designated for bicycle parking.



Keep your fingers crossed for sunny fall weather and I hope to see you there!