Reconstruction of the 87-year-old Sellwood Bridge is moving along nicely despite the slightly hazy atmosphere caused by wildfires that often occur in the summer and fall in Oregon and Washington.The project, a joint venture of Sundt and Slayden Construction, is a key connection to downtown Portland because it is bounded by two significant natural features: the West Hills and the Willamette River.
“Tunnels and bridges are tremendously important to the city for commerce, workforce mobility, public safety, as well as maintaining a healthy and vibrant community,” said Sundt Project Manager Matt Fisher. “The new Sellwood Bridge will maintain an important connection between the city and the Sellwood District, as well as numerous other communities to the east.”
The old version of the bridge was the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon, with an average daily traffic count of 30,000 vehicles. With that many cars and trucks using it each day, complete closures have been kept to a minimum during construction. The issue was managed with the introduction of a detour bridge in January 2013 that has held closures to a week, a tremendous accomplishment for the Sundt team and its partners.
The new bridge is scheduled to open in January with construction wrapping up in late 2016.