Weekend Traffic Alert: Work on Hawthorne and Sellwood Bridges This Weekend

Two of Portland's bridges - The Hawthorne and The Sellwood - will be closed this weekend for maintenance and construction.

As a result, Multnomah County, which operates both bridges, says to be prepared with alternative routes and be ready for the possibility of some delays.

The Sellwood Bridge

It will be closed to everyone: vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians from Friday night at 7:00 until no later than 6:00 Tuesday morning.

They hope to have it open before then. During the closure crews will seal the bridge deck, remove temporary striping, add permanent lane striping, and activate new traffic signals at each end of the bridge. Two permanent traffic changes will occur when the bridge reopens:

• Hwy. 43 interchange: Traffic westbound across the bridge will be able to turn left to access Hwy. 43 south. For several years bridge drivers have had to travel north to the turnaround at Taylors Ferry Road to access Hwy. 43 south.
• SE Tacoma/SE 6th Ave: The new traffic signal at SE 6th and SE Tacoma St. will reduce turn movements for northbound traffic on SE 6th, to limit cut-through traffic. Northbound traffic on 6th must turn right (east) at Tacoma. Bicyclists and pedestrians northbound on 6th can cross Tacoma and access the bridge by activating the signal with pavement loops or push buttons. Northbound drivers can cross or turn left onto Tacoma from streets east of SE 6th.

Meanwhile, the county wants people to remember that during the Sellwood Bridge closure, that several ramps that connect Hwy. 43 with the Ross Island Bridge/City Center/I-5 south will be also be closed for repairs including on one commute day (Monday, August 22).

Expect traffic congestion approaching the Ross Island Bridge from the west. Alternate routes from the Sellwood Bridge to the Ross Island Bridge include Taylors Ferry/Terwilliger or Boundary/Corbett/Hamilton to Barbur to the Ross Island Bridge. Visit ODOT’s website for information on the ramp closures.

The alternate southern route when the Sellwood Bridge is closed is Hwy. 99E to Interstate 205 (Abernethy Bridge at Oregon City) to Hwy. 43. The eastbound route is the reverse.

The alternate routes for bicyclists and pedestrians are the Ross Island or Hawthorne bridges, via regional trails on either side of the river.

Hawthorne Bridge

The Hawthorne Bridge will be closed to motor vehicles only from 5 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21 while crews make repairs to the lift span operator’s structure. Bridge sidewalks will remain open for bicyclists and pedestrians during the work. TriMet bus lines #4, 6, 14 and 15 will detour to the Burnside Bridge. For details, visit www.trimet.org/alerts. Alternate routes for motor vehicles include the Morrison and Ross Island bridges.

From August 15 through mid-September, there will be more frequent and longer openings of the Hawthorne Bridge lift span on weekdays between 9 am and 4 pm. The openings will allow maintenance crews to remove grease from and inspect the lift span cables. Bridge openings will last up to 15 minutes and happen several times a day, typically. Travelers can avoid delays by using alternate routes such as the Morrison Bridge. Download the county’s free Bridge Alerts mobile app for information on bridge openings.

Multnomah County maintains the Hawthorne and Sellwood bridges and 300 miles of roads. For information, visit www.multco.us/bridges.