Meet the Architects for the Future Burnside Bridge
Experts say there is a one in three chance of a magnitude 8 or greater earthquake occurring in our region within the lifetime of most Oregon residents, however none of the downtown bridges are expected to be immediately usable after a major earthquake. That is why Multnomah County is working on creating a seismically resilient new Burnside Bridge.
Located in the heart of downtown Portland and on a regional lifeline route, a resilient Burnside Bridge will play a critical role in emergency response, rescue and recovery after the earthquake. It will also be a new landmark in our city providing multimodal travel for the next century.
The project just completed a robust Environmental Review Phase where a Preferred Alternative was selected. The project is now entering into the Final Design Phase where further bridge form and design will be developed. The County has hired a team of architects and engineers to lead the design effort for the future Burnside Bridge which kicks off in January 2024. This UDP meeting will focus on ‘meeting the architects’ and learning about opportunities to follow the project’s progress and share input along the way.
Learn about the Burnside Bridge architects: www.BEAM-architects.com
Megan Neil, PE
Engineering Services Manager, Multnomah County
Megan Neill is an Engineering Services Manager of the Bridge Section for the Multnomah County Transportation Division. Megan supports a team of engineers, bridge operators, and maintenance staff who provide capital planning, project delivery and asset management for six of Portland’s iconic Willamette River Bridges. In her current role as the Design Phase Project Manager for the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge Project, she works collaboratively with the public, stakeholders, and agency partners to improve the resiliency for our region’s transportation network.
James Marks RIBA RIAS Int’l Assoc. AIA
Director, BEAM Architects
James Marks is a Bridge Architect and Director at specialist design firm BEAM Architects. His international expertise includes many award-winning bridges of all scales, ranging from small bespoke structures such as the Koolangka Crossing in Perth Australia, to major infrastructure including the Mario M Cuomo Bridge in New York and the Kingston Third Crossing in Ontario Canada. As former Associate Director at Wilkinson Eyre Architects, James was personally responsible for many high-profile bridges including Media City Footbridge in England, Peace Bridge in Northern Ireland, Nesciobrug in the Netherlands and many others.
Keith Brownlie FRSA RIBA RIAS Int’l Assoc. AIA NCARB
Director, BEAM Architects
Keith Brownlie is an Architect and founder of specialist bridge design firm BEAM-Architects. He has an established international reputation for bridge design and has been involved in many significant bridge projects over three decades. Recently completed major projects include the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington DC and the Long Beach International Gateway in California. Earlier projects include the Stirling Prize winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge and many other award-winning bridges across the globe. He reviews nationally significant infrastructure on behalf of UK govt. and is a keen advocate of sustainable bridge development.
Steve Drahota, PE
Senior Vice President, HDR Engineering
With over 30 years of experience designing bridges, as well as leading teams on large multi-disciplinary transportation projects, Steve is serving as the EQRB Project’s Design Team Project Manager. Prior to his current role in the Final Design Phase, Steve served as the Technical Lead and Project Manager on the Burnside Bridge’s Maintenance Project, Feasibility Study, and Environmental Study over the past 10 years. Steve has led the design of over 70 bridges in his career and has extensive experience balancing bridge architectural and structural needs for bridges in high-seismic regions throughout the West Coast.