Broadway Bridge will close Monday
Six-month project to replace the bridge deck expected to be completed in April
The Broadway Bridge will close Monday to cars, trucks, buses and the Portland Streetcar in order to replace the bridge deck.
The south sidewalk will remain open for cyclists, pedestrians and those using mobility devices for most of the project, which is expected to be completed by April 11.
The Portland Streetcar, which crosses the bridge, will still provide service with some changes:
The streetcar will serve the east side via the Tilikum Crossing, turning around on each end of the Broadway Bridge.
A and B loop streetcars will operate as one line, going both directions through downtown and along the central east side.
The stop at NW Ninth and Lovejoy will be closed for the duration of the project.
The work is part of the Broadway Bridge Lift Deck Replacement Project. In order to do the work, the contractor will remove small sections of the bridge deck one at a time to ensure that the movable bridge sections remain balanced and can be opened to river traffic. New streetcar tracks will also be installed in the section of the bridge deck being replaced.
The estimated cost for the project is $21.8 million. Multnomah County will fund the design and 10% of the construction costs while the federal government will pay 90% of the construction costs.
The Broadway Bridge, which opened on April 22, 1913, is called a double-leaf bascule bridge. This means that, as a drawbridge, its spans rotate upward and are balanced by counterweights. (The word “bascule” in French means see-saw.) When the bridge opened, it was the longest bascule span of its kind the world. And today, 112 years later, that world record still stands. According to Multnomah County, which maintains it, the Broadway Bridge today carries about 30,000 vehicles every day. One more statistic: Each counterweight tips the scale at 2,000 tons.
It would be interesting to see comments from contractors who do this type of project. Really six months?