ODOT to close St. Johns Bridge for repair

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Jun 28, 2002 by Stephanie Basalyga

Residents and business owners in the area of the St. Johns Bridge might want to start stocking up on road maps, because starting next year they're going to be living in Detour City.

The Oregon Department of Transportation announced it has settled on a full closure of the bridge, for up to seven weeks, beginning next February to protect crews and traffic during a replacement of decking and sidewalks on the structure.

The work is part of a two-year project to fix and paint the 70- year-old bridge that stretches over the Willamette River at the north end of Portland. In addition to new decking and sidewalks, crews will upgrade drainage and lighting systems and fix problems with Bridge Avenue ramps located on the west end of the bridge.

ODOT is firm that the bridge work must start next year in order to retain federal funds paying for the majority of the $30 million project. But a request by a bicycle advocacy group threatens to throw the project off its timeline.

The group, concerned the bridge fix doesn't include bike lanes, approached ODOT asking for a reconfiguration of lane striping to create space for bicyclists. The department is willing to consider options, as long as they won't push back the timeline of the project, said ODOT spokesman David Thompson.

Metro regional government and the city of Portland have both stepped forward to offer possible solutions.

One plan presented by the city would reduce the bridge's four lanes to two, which would create wide bicycle lanes and allow an increase in sidewalk widths from a planned five feet to eight feet.

Metro has suggested a configuration that would create room for bike lanes by making the bridge two lanes at either end with an additional lane in the middle section.

But those alternatives would require a complete overhaul of the design of the project, which would push back the start date, according to ODOT. And that could lead the federal government to withdraw its money offer, leaving the state department with no way to pay for the project.

"We're willing to work with the groups to do the best we can, but if it jeopardizes federal money, at this point we're saying no," Thompson said.

ODOT scheduled a meeting this week to discuss the proposed options. If the end result is a list of alternatives that won't affect the project start date, ODOT will present the ideas in a public hearing.

It wouldn't be the first time the public has had a say in the bridge project. ODOT made the decision to close the structure after a series of open meetings with St. Johns area residents and business owners, who often differed on how they thought the project should be handled.

People located on the east side of the bridge supported a complete closure during initial work. Others on the west side of the bridge, where detour routes are more limited, pushed for a partial closure, even though the option meant the project would take longer.

In the end, safety concerns led ODOT to decide a full closure was the best choice. During decking work, crews will open a gap in the roadway with a 100-foot drop down to the river below. Under normal conditions, the state would construct a barrier between the work and traffic. But the St. Johns Bridge is too narrow - 40 feet across with no shoulder - to allow the usual placement of a concrete barrier between the work zone and bypassing traffic.

"This is such a confined workspace, we can't adequately protect the traveling public and the workers in the work zone," Thompson said. "With a barrier in place, there's not enough space for many vehicles to make the turn off the bridge. We're talking cars towing boats, longer delivery trucks, even a tour bus wouldn't be able to make the turn."

During the closure, Portland fire and police departments will each keep a crew stationed on the west side of the bridge to answer emergency calls. Tri-Met also will adjust the routes of its two lines which normally use the bridge.

Business owners near the bridge will receive some extra help from ODOT in the form of brochures listing construction schedules and detour routes that can be handed out to customers.

Once initial work is complete, the bridge will reopen during daytime hours with traffic limited to single eastbound and westbound lanes, although occasional short-term closures may be necessary. The bridge will be closed to night traffic through the duration of the project.