Structural engineers are investigating concerns the Chinatown gate in Portland, Oregon is crumbling, reports the Oregonian . (photo by Noel Zia Lee)
Concerns mounted when an eight inch piece of the gate fell and just missed a resident of a nearby homeless camp.
“It was just after the snowstorm,” says Amber Dunks, a resident at the camp. “He was just walking by, and a big bronze-colored piece came really close to hitting him.”
According to another member of the camp, this is at least the second piece that fell and they say there are crumbs of clay from the gate on the sidewalk beneath it.
Maintenance crews from the Portland Bureau of Transportation which oversees the gate have been alerted.
Investigators believe the damage was caused by the wind and that the structure is stable.
The incident has raised a number of maintenance issues.
You can read about that in the Oregonian.
