Aug 15, 2024 - Transit

What's going on with the Hawthorne Bridge's many closures

Meira Gebel

A photo of a vertical lift bridge with a downtown skyline in the background. — Get ready to find an alternative route for the next few weeks. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios

Travelers may have noticed the Hawthorne Bridge — Oregon's busiest bicycle and transit crossing, as well as the oldest operating vertical lift bridge in the U.S. — has been closed a lot recently as it undergoes repairs and maintenance.

The latest: This summer, Multnomah County, which manages five of the Willamette River's bridges, hired a contractor to repave the deteriorated deck's concrete and replace deck joints for both the east and west sides of the bridge, according to spokesperson Sarah Hurwitz.

Construction, and the related traffic impacts, are scheduled to wrap up by the end of September.
Yes, but: There will be additional weekend full bridge closures and continued lane closures until then, Hurwitz told Axios.

By the numbers: The cost of the project is $9.5 million and is funded by federal and county funds.

The intrigue: The repairs, however, do not make the Hawthorne Bridge strong enough to withstand a major earthquake — none of Portland's downtown bridges are.

Construction on a new $895 million, "earthquake ready" Burnside Bridge is expected to begin in 2027. Developers are currently in the design phase and are asking for community input.

The bottom line: Get used to finding an alternative route.

Editors' note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Hawthorne Bridge will not be closed to all traffic the weekend of Aug. 17-18 as scheduled due to potential rain and thunderstorms.

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What's going on with the Hawthorne Bridge's many closures

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