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The Portland Bridge is located in Portland, Oregon on the Willamette River. The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River and separates the City of Portland at its mouth into the Columbia. The Willamette Basin is home to nearly two-thirds of Oregon’s population and provides the city with 75% of its economic output. In recent years, the Willamette River has been plagued with pollution and environmental issues and is now part of an ongoing renovation project to create bike, walking trails and boat docks to help rejuvenate the Willamette River and create a recreational area for the city of Portland. The City of Portland and many environmental groups are also working to create better water quality and healthier wildlife populations to help revitalize the Willamette River.

The Willamette River is a tidal river meaning its flow levels are influenced by tides. The level of water on the Willamette River also has large variation due to yearly precipitation levels. To accommodate this, there are 15 major dams and a complex series of levees, dikes and channels to control its flow to avoid flooding. To help rejuvenate the river, the City of Portland was seeking a slip resistant material that would be utilized on floating bridges and docks for vehicles, bikers and pedestrians.

The City of Portland contacted SlipNOT® Metal Safety Flooring for a solution to their material needs. SlipNOT® provided the City of Portland with slip resistant aluminum Grip Plate®. Aluminum plate was the ideal choice for the project because aluminum is a light weight material; it will not weigh down the bridges and was ideal for floating docks and bridges. Floating docks and bridges were a necessity for the project because of the Willamette River’s variation in level of water throughout the year. Because aluminum is a light weight material, the floating docks and bridges are able to accommodate when water levels are extremely high or low by contracting or expanding. Aluminum is also corrosion resistant and will withstand years of heavy traffic from vehicles, bikers and pedestrians as well as the weather elements in Portland, OR. Aluminum requires minimal maintenance which was also ideal for an outdoor application that cannot be easily accessed for cleaning.

SlipNOT® slip resistant aluminum plate has withstood heavy traffic from vehicles, bikers and pedestrians as well as the tough Portland weather elements to provide the City of Portland with slip resistant bridges. These slip resistant bridges and docks have been a vital asset to the revitalization of the Willamette River and surrounding area providing the City of Portland with safe bridges and docks that attract pedestrians and hikers to the river.