Archive: Stark Street Bridge Updates

We are making emergency repairs to the north approach to the Stark Street Bridge.

Weekly updates are posted to the project page, and traffic or closure notices are also posted to This Week In Roads.

2/27/25: Project Update

• This week crews are in the shotcrete process. This is a technique used in construction that involves crews spraying concrete on the walls and barriers and carving it into stone.
• Paving of the new north bridge approach will be this weekend, pending weather.
• The bridge is expected to reopen to traffic late next week, weather permitting.

2/20/25: Project Update

• This week crews are pouring the sidewalk that’s next to the retaining wall. 
• Multnomah County Maintenance is also using a snooper truck to clean and repair old wood underneath the pedestrian crossing that's part of the bridge. This type of truck has an arm that swoops down to inspect and clean parts of the bridge that are hard to reach.  
• We are on target for a full bridge reopening in March.

2/14/25: Project Update

• The project team is working through the freezing weather and snowstorm to minimize any impacts to the construction schedule.  
• Due to below freezing temperatures, the contractor is utilizing a concrete heater and thermal barriers to keep concrete work proceeding as scheduled. 
• A push button has been added to the temporary signal to improve bike travel access in the corridor including additional travel time through the single-lane closure.
• The county is on target for a full bridge reopening in March.

2/7/25: Project Update

• Crews are continuing work on the retaining wall.  
• Initially, the project team targeted a partial reopening of the bridge. Upon more evaluation, the project team found this would delay the full reopening of the bridge. Crews will finish all work needed, targeting a reopening in March.

1/30/25: Project Update

• Crews are continuing work on the retaining wall.  
• Gas and water lines that were relocated are in the process of being reinstalled. 
• Initially, the project team targeted a partial reopening of the bridge. Upon more evaluation, the project team found this would delay the full reopening of the bridge. Crews will finish all work needed, targeting a reopening in March.

1/24/25: Project Update

• Construction began on the retaining wall this week.
• Next week the project team will continue to work through scheduling details in relation to a partial reopening of the bridge.

1/16/25: Project Update

• Excavation has extended into this week. Crews found sandstone, a hard material that a regular excavator can't get through which will require additional work. 
• Crews are removing the sandstone ledge in order to level the area before retaining wall and bridge approach construction.
• Crews are on track to start retaining wall and approach construction this week. 
• At the start of this emergency work, crews installed fencing to stop boulders or soil from falling into the river. That system is working efficiently to protect the river.

1/9/25: Project Update

• We plan to complete excavation this week and begin construction next week on the new retaining wall.
• During construction, there is a 24-hour single lane closure on the Historic Columbia River Highway near the bridge. Two temporary traffic signals will be set up within a couple hundred feet on either side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic. The single lane reduction will remain in place for the duration of construction. Due to tight space near the repair site, contracting equipment will take up some space in the roadway. Speed in the work zone will be reduced to 45 miles per hour.

12/11/24: Project Update 

• Construction begins this week. 
• During construction, there will be a 24-hour single lane closure on the Historic Columbia River Highway near the bridge. Two temporary traffic signals will be set up within a couple hundred feet on either side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic. The single lane reduction will remain in place for the duration of construction. Due to tight space near the repair site, contracting equipment will take up some space in the roadway. Speed in the work zone will be reduced to 45 miles per hour.
• Excavation of the site will begin the week of Dec. 16. 
• The next update for this project will be in the first week of January 2025. 

12/6/24: Weekly Look-Ahead 

Construction will begin next week. Expect traffic delays on the Historic Columbia River Highway. 

• News Release: Construction starts next week on Stark Street Bridge retaining wall

11/27/24: Weekly Look-Ahead

• Communication, power, water and gas lines are now either cut out or moved out of the way of the construction work zone so that the contractor can maneuver and complete the repair work safely.
• This emergency repair work is on the Historic Columbia River Highway, which is owned and maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation. In order to move forward with the work, the County is required to get a permit from ODOT to work on the highway. The County is waiting for final approval and is expecting to hear back in the next week.
• Once ODOT approves the permit, construction will start. During construction, there will be a round-the-clock single lane closure on the Historic Columbia River Highway near the bridge. Two temporary traffic signals will be set up within a couple hundred feet on either side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic. The single lane reduction will remain in place for the duration of construction. Due to tight space near the repair site, contracting equipment will take up some space in the roadway.
• Speed in the work zone will be reduced to 45 miles per hour.

11/22/24: Weekly Look-Ahead

• The Oregon Department of Transportation’s state traffic engineer is currently reviewing the project’s traffic control plan. Once that is reviewed, ODOT can approve the permit that allows construction to start.
• Utility companies are wrapping up work to move communication and power lines away from the soon-to-be construction site.
• The project is in the process of finalizing shoring design to preserve the Historic Columbia River Highway during construction. Shoring is a wall to help keep the highway intact and to keep the workers safe in the excavation. It is required to access the work zone at the end of the bridge. Shoring will have to be in place during excavation for safety and to maintain Historic Columbia River Highway.
• The erosion control plan is nearing completion. The contractor will install netting and filter barrier to stop any rolling rock or sediment from getting into the river.

11/14/24: Weekly Look-Ahead

• Communication lines are directly above the work area on power poles. Those will need to be raised by the utilities so the contractor equipment will be able to fit underneath them. This work is scheduled to be done by Friday, Nov. 15.
• The contractor will begin excavating and removing the existing bridge approach once utilities are moved.
• Construction of the bridge approach repairs will begin in the next few weeks.
• Due to tight space near the repair site, contracting equipment will take up some space in the roadway. During construction there will be a 24-hour single lane closure on the Historic Columbia River Highway near the bridge. Two temporary traffic signals will be set up within a couple hundred feet on either side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic.

11/8/24: Weekly Look-Ahead

• So far, the project team is working with a consultant, utilities companies and a contractor to design the repairs. While the community may not see crews out doing work on the site just yet, the project team is hard at work every day working on those designs.
• There’s a lot of work that has to happen behind the scenes before construction, including the drilling work we did in the Historic Columbia River Highway to determine the condition of the material beneath the road that we will be under the newly constructed approach.
• Utility companies will begin working on the site next week. Communication lines are directly above the work area on power poles. Those will need to be raised by the utilities so the contractor equipment will be able to fit underneath them.
• This work is expected to last a week and is required before fieldwork can begin.
• Contractor excavation will start immediately after utilities are cleared from the work zone. That work is expected to start at the end of November.