Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade

The Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade floats on pontoons above the Willamette River, stretching for one and a half miles along the concrete seawall. Before this path opened in two thousand one, the east bank was a jagged industrial fringe of warehouses and rail lines. Mayor Vera Katz insisted on the design, famously fighting for the floating walkway when engineers warned that the river currents would make it impossible to secure. She wanted the city to reclaim the water, and she won.