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Major reconstruction of the arch bridge between Oregon City and West Linn begins this weekend
VERN UYETAKE / west linn tidings
The iconic bridge between Oregon City and West Linn will closed to traffic beginning Saturday.
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Prioritizing historic preservation and commuter safety, on Saturday the Oregon Department of Transportation will close the arch bridge between Oregon City and West Linn for a two-year period while it completes a $10.6 million rehabilitation project.
ODOT held two final community open houses in West Linn this week to answer questions and hear concerns about the closure. Because Monday’s meeting conflicted with the airing of the BCS national championship game, attendance was low; the only person in the audience was a member of the press.
However, Susan Hanson, an ODOT community affairs coordinator, said West Linn residents have generally been understanding of the necessity of the closure and have so far only expressed concerns regarding potential traffic congestion.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the arch bridge, which opened in 1923, was designed by Oregon State Bridge Engineer Conde McCullough, who is known for designing many of the arch bridges that dot the Oregon coastline along Highway 101.
While many of his other bridges feature arches entirely above or below their roadways, the West Linn-Oregon City arch bridge is what structural design engineer Christopher Leedham calls a rare “partial-through bridge,” as its roadway runs midway up the height of its arch ribs.
Because the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards for historically registered structures prevents changing the “look and feel of the bridge,” special restrictions have been placed on the rehabilitation project.
During the next two years, workers will use hydrodemolition — a high-powered pressure washing process — to strip the bridge of its coating of Gunite, a concrete mixture, which has cracked and leaked in recent years. New concrete will then be recast on top of the bridge’s steel frame, and its railings and pylons will be replaced.
Water for the demolition will come from the city of West Linn’s water supply, and ODOT has acquired a permit to discharge runoff into the sanitary sewer in Oregon City, Hanson said.
Leedham said the equipment used in this hydroblasting process is extremely dangerous and requires special training, as it releases about 40,000 pounds per square inch of pressure along with steam. Household pressure washers, by contrast, release around 1,500 psi.
The bridge’s decking and sidewalks will also be removed, and so Leedham said it simply isn’t safe enough to allow access for cars, bicycles or pedestrians during this time.
As about 13,000 cars travel across the arch bridge a day, Hanson said that ODOT is aware that restricting access will add to the number of vehicles using the I-205 Abernethy Bridge. She said ODOT has adjusted signal timing and lane striping to help alleviate anticipated congestion.
Cyclists and pedestrians are not allowed on the Abernethy Bridge, and so ODOT has partnered with West Linn’s First Student Inc. to provide a free shuttle service to these travelers, who would otherwise have to travel far north to the Sellwood Bridge or far south to the Canby ferry for a river crossing.
In West Linn, the shuttle service will run from the old TriMet stop at the intersection of Willamette and Willamette Falls drives. In Oregon City, it will stop on Ninth Street between Main Street and McLoughlin Boulevard (Highway 99E). Beginning Friday, buses will run every 40 minutes between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. weekends.
Hanson said that, as its central business district is located directly off the bridge, Oregon City has been more vocal and more concerned about its bridge closure.
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