8 • The Southwest Portland Post
NEWS
July 2011
Officials approve new method for building the Sellwood
Bridge’s replacement
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
The Multnomah County Commission
last month approved a new approach to
construction of a new Sellwood Bridge,
one that relies on moving the existing
bridge to a slightly new location and
using it while a new span is built.
Previous plans call for building half
of a new bridge immediately north of
the existing span, then demolishing
the existing bridge and using the new
structure for traffic movement while
adding to it.
The new plan, as presented by
project manager Ian Cannon, calls for
moving the existing bridge to a new
location a few feet to the north, while
the new bridge is built in the old loca-
tion in a single phase.
Cannon said the new approach could
save $5 to $10 million in expense and
up to a year in construction time.
The technique has been used “half a
dozen times worldwide,” Cannon said.
“It’s not a new technology. It just
has to be done with care.” Another ad-
vantage, Cannon said, is that it creates
greater separation between through
traffic movement and the construction
work.
Asked by County chair Jeff Cogen if
there are “downsides” or risks to the
procedure, Cannon said, “The biggest
risk is whether we can get the permits
in time to do what we need to do.” He
later added that it will probably be
necessary to condemn and acquire one
This photo illustration shows the deck arch design of the proposed Sellwood
Bridge. (Post file photo courtesy of Multnomah County)
housing unit in the River Park condo-
miniums on the east side.
At a hearing last month, only one
person spoke against the proposal.
Transportation activist Jim Howell
claimed that a better and cheaper
course would be to pursue a new
alignment for the new bridge, taking
it to the north.
Cannon responded that adopting
Howell’s idea would involve reopen-
ing the planning process for the project,
which would eat up any construction
cost savings it might offer. However, at
the urging of Commissioner Deborah
Kafoury, Cannon agreed to investigate
Howell’s idea.
Also last month, consultant Mike
Acre of David Evans and Associates
discussed possible cost savings to com-
pensate for the defeat by Clackamas
County voters of a $5 annual surcharge
expected to generate $42 million.
Most of the savings involve forgoing
elements of a new interchange with
Highway 43 on the west side of the
bridge. Acre said the County is consid-
ering using one right-turn lane on the
west side off-ramp instead of two-- a
change he said was “not desirable but
doable.”
Another is to adjust traffic signal tim-
ing to accommodate the traffic demand
at any given time of the day.
Acre said he and other staff have dis-
cussed these ideas with Portland and
Oregon Department of Transportation
officials. “No one said they were fatally
flawed,” he said.
The County is also seeking a grant
from the federal Transportation Im-
provement Grant for Economic Re-
covery (TIGER) program. Such grants
are typically in the range of $15 to $25
million, but can run as high as $60 mil-
lion, he said.
Barbur Corridor Planning
(Continued from Page 1)
Commission chair Andre Baugh said,
“This is a good time to look at this cor-
ridor, and we really need to look at it
comprehensively.”
Baugh noted that adjacent prop-
erty, by and large, consists of relatively
small parcels rather than “a big set of
developments. The key is community
involvement.”
Baugh said the study should look at
potential future open spaces and “how
it connects to other communities.”
Senior planner Joe Zehnder said the
growth estimate is based on projec-
tions by Metro, and recent studies say
its extent may be exaggerated. “We’ve
never done one quite like this before,”
Zehnder said. “It should be a lot of fun.”
Editor’s Note: In December 2010, Metro
was awarded a $2 million grant from the
Federal Transit Administration to analyze
alternatives for improving transit in the
corridor that includes Barbur Boulevard/
Highway 99W and Interstate 5.
Southwest Hills partition
(Continued from Page 7)
property owners, and is chair of the
Portland Development Commission.
City Auditor LaVonne Griffin-Valade,
in response to an inquiry, told The Post
that the applicant’s status had nothing
to do with the use of Helm on the case.
There is a vacancy at this position,
she said, and for that reason the City
has contracted for the services of Helm,
who has since presided at other cases.
Helm’s decision on the appeal is ex-
pected by late June.
Parker Realty, Inc.
August is
Hot!
Maplewood –
Miles Court
$319,000
Charming
3BR/2.5BR home in
desirable Maplewood
neighborhood close
to Multnomah Village. This property is directly
adjacent to April Hill Park (gate from property to
park) on large, private 11,760 sq foot lot. Attached
2 car garage, lower level family room with fireplace
plus second fireplace in vaulted living room. Master
with full bath & slider to deck overlooking park.
Jeff Parker
Your Neighborhood
Realtor
Since 1980
503-977-1888•7830 SW 35th Ave., Portland, OR
www.parkerrealtyportland.com
So be cool and advertise in our
Multnomah Days
Special Section!
Includes a preview of
this year’s Multnomah
Days Festival including
features and photos.
Call Don or Harry
at 503-244-6933 for details.
Deadline is July 20.
For an online ratecard and media kit
visit www.swportlandpost.com