That's a lot of rebar. Photo: Courtesy of Multnomah County
If you've driven past the west end of Burnside Bridge recently, you may have noticed some changes as the county prepares to build a new span.
Driving the news: Crews are drilling a 10-foot wide, 125-foot deep hole to construct a test foundation for a new, earthquake-safe Burnside Bridge.
Zoom in: Once the hole is deep enough, crews will fill it with reinforced steel cages and concrete.
Engineers will then test the foundation to make sure it can withstand a major earthquake and make changes if necessary.
Threat level: All of the bridges over the Willamette are likely to fail in a major quake.
The Burnside Bridge was chosen as the first bridge to get a seismic rebuild because it's part of the corridor dedicated as an emergency route between Washington County, Gresham and Portland.
What's next: Construction of the new span is expected to start in earnest in 2027, with the bridge closed to traffic until completion sometime in 2031.
