After six months of construction, the Hawthorne Bridge now has several upgrades that improve safety and accessibility for all users.
The $9.5 million federally and locally funded project, installed new pavement on the east and west ends of the bridge, as well as added Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant bus stop and bike lane safety improvements that provide more protection from motor vehicles. The bike lane that crosses near the S.E. Clay Street ramp on the east end of the bridge was part of the work for this project, which drew some community input on the initial design and installation.
“After hearing feedback from the community, we took fast action to modify the configuration to match the feedback from the traveling public,” Project Manager, Matt Studer said.
Crews also installed raised yellow tiles on the westbound ramp, which help guide visually impaired pedestrians to the correct part of the shared path so that they don’t risk walking into traffic or collisions with cyclists.
Studer says the project team worked hard to minimize extended closures throughout construction, as the bridge is heavily used by cyclists, pedestrians and motor vehicles. Contracting crews and the inspection team worked long hours, often overnight, to get the work done. This important work extended the lifespan of the bridge deck, on a crossing that’s more than 100 years old.
Crews also installed new rain water catch basins to mitigate puddling issues on the bridge as part of this project.
Multnomah County maintains five Willamette River bridges: the Sellwood, Hawthorne, Morrison, Burnside and Broadway Bridges as well as the Wapato Bridge over the Multnomah Channel. For information, visit https://www.multco.us/bridges.
