With construction of the new Sellwood Bridge scheduled to begin in July 2012, Multnomah County is taking steps to eliminate the project’s $42 million funding shortfall. On June 16, the Board of County Commissioners approved a detour bridge that could cut the project’s cost by $5 million to $10 million.
Clackamas County voters' defeat of a vehicle fee in the May election added $22 million to the project’s funding shortfall. The other portion of the shortfall is a pending request to the federal government for $20 million. The current project cost estimate is $290 million (in 2014 dollars).
A funding shortfall of this size at this stage of a large project is not unusual, but it does present a challenge.
While the loss of Clackamas County funds makes the project more difficult, Multnomah County and its funding partners (the city of Portland, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the federal government) remain committed to keeping the project on schedule. The deteriorated bridge is a critical part of the region’s transportation infrastructure. It remains the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon with a sufficiency rating of 2 out of 100.
The strategy for closing the funding shortfall focuses on three areas:
- Securing additional funds
- Pursuing cost savings through innovations or phasing, and
- Refining the project cost estimate with new information
Additional funds
The county is seeking state and federal transportation funds, including a grant from the federal stimulus program. Another idea being explored is shifting federal funds from a future county bridge project to the Sellwood project. The county will also continue to seek funds from the major federal transportation bill, which is pending in Congress.
Cutting costs
The detour bridge approved by the county board is the most recent step to reduce the project’s cost. If Multnomah County has not secured funds to build the entire project by the end of 2011, another option is to postpone construction of some non-bridge elements until a second phase. The county has secured enough funds to buy property and replace the bridge. The postponed elements would be features of the westside interchange. The interchange could function safely in the short-term without these elements.
Earlier this year, the county board approved changes that reduced the project cost by $41 million. The county will continue to aggressively search for cost savings.
Updating the project’s cost
Multnomah County recently hired the Slayden/Sundt Joint Venture team to construct the Sellwood Bridge. One of the contractors’ first tasks is to provide an updated cost estimate for the project. The new estimate will give county leaders better information about the size of the funding shortfall. Due to the recession, it is possible the new cost estimate will be lower due to better prices for property and materials needed for the project.