A quick refresher, please. What's the issue?
Multnomah County’s 85-year-old Sellwood Bridge has serious structural problems and needs to be replaced. The project to replace the bridge is in the final design phase. Construction of the new bridge is scheduled to begin in July 2012 and to be completed in late 2015.
Multnomah County owns the bridge and leads the $290 million project to replace it. Also, a new west-side interchange where the bridge connects with Oregon Highway 43 will be built.
Who are the partners on getting the bridge built?
The county is working with the city of Portland, the federal government and the Oregon Department of Transportation to fund the bridge’s replacement. These agencies are involved because it has been identified as one of the top regional transportation issues in Oregon.
The bridge is used by a lot of people, especially Clackamas County residents. Why isn’t Clackamas County helping pay for the bridge?
Clackamas County voters recently defeated a ballot measure for a $5 annual vehicle registration fee that would have raised $22 million for the project. The current funding shortfall for the project is $42 million. Multnomah County is working to reduce the cost of the project and seek funds to close the gap.
Does the county Board of Commissioners' OK of a detour bridge mean that gap is now resolved?
The detour bridge is estimated to reduce the funding shortfall by $5 million to $10 million.
Did Multnomah County consider stopping the project because of the shortfall?
No. The county is confident it can close the project’s funding gap and proceed with construction on schedule. Doing nothing is not an option. The project’s cost will only grow if it is postponed. And the bridge, which carries more traffic than any two-lane bridge in Oregon, is nearing the end of its service life. It needs to be replaced as soon as possible to keep the region’s transportation system moving.
Are there scheduling issues involved?
A key scheduling issue is the limitation on when work in the Willamette River can be performed due to protections for threatened fish species. In-water work for the new bridge can only happen from July through October. If in-water work does not begin in July 2012, the project could be delayed a year.
Another deadline is the requirement for a funding plan by the end of 2011. By that time, the county must identify funds that have been secured to build the project. Unfunded items would have to be constructed in a later phase.
What are the prospects for filling the rest of the funding gap?
A funding shortfall of this size at this stage of a large project is not unusual. The county expects to close the shortfall through a combination of securing additional funds, finding project cost savings through innovations and phasing, and refining the project cost estimate with new information. The additional state and federal funds are being pursued, and the county is exploring the possibility of shifting federal funds from another Multnomah County bridge project to the Sellwood project.
So if those sources come through, does that mean the bridge didn't need the Clackamas County revenues?
The Clackamas County funds were part of the project’s regional funding strategy. The City of Portland and the state and federal governments remain as funding partners. With the loss of Clackamas County funds, Multnomah County needs to pursue new steps to close the increased shortfall. Those steps may delay other Multnomah County projects and require the Sellwood project to be built in phases. Neither of these actions is desirable.
When will construction begin?
Construction of the detour bridge could begin as early as December 2011. Construction of the new bridge could begin as early as July 2012. The project’s first field work will be the removal of an office building under the east approach to the bridge in the summer of 2011.
When will the bridge be finished?
Late 2015.
What's the expected lifespan of the new bridge?
Current design codes assume a 75-year lifespan. With appropriate ongoing maintenance, the bridge should last longer than 100 years.
Why can't the county just toll the Sellwood and/or other bridges to make up the deficit?
Federal rules would require an additional study of the impacts tolling would have on traffic, which could delay the project by a year or more and require a new federal approval for the project. An earlier study found that a toll on the Sellwood Bridge would cause a high percentage of bridge users to divert to a bridge without a toll.
Asking Multnomah County residents to pay a toll when they are already paying a vehicle registration fee would not be fair. There would be costly start-up costs to introduce the region’s first electronic tolling. A toll on only non-Multnomah County vehicles may not raise enough revenue to convince investors to buy bonds to fund the bridge. Tolling could be explored to fund a later construction phase, if the county lacks funds to build the project in one phase.
How will construction impact neighbors in Sellwood and those who use the bridge frequently?
Like any large construction project, building the new Sellwood Bridge will impact bridge users and neighbors. There will be construction noise and traffic near the work site, although work hours and noise limits will be established. The interchange with the bridge and Highway 43 will have reduced capacity while the new interchange is under construction. Traffic congestion will increase on Highway 43 near the bridge during the work. Typically, some drivers choose a route away from the construction zone, which helps to disperse traffic.