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| Design process begins for Willamette River bridge replacement | ||
| 04/15/2008 | ||
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SPRINGFIELD — ODOT is seeking public input on the style of bridge that should replace the existing Interstate 5 bridge over the Willamette River between Eugene and Springfield. An online survey with a link provided at www.willamettebridge.org will collect opinions from the community on what style of bridge is desired and appropriate for this location. The survey will be available from April 15 to May 15, 2008. Interested community members are encouraged to participate in the survey. Until now, the project has focused on identifying the environmental impacts associated with replacing the existing bridges. The Environmental Assessment determined that four bridge styles (I-Girder, Box-Girder, Deck Arch, and Through Arch) fit within the project budget. Each style has unique characteristics that would affect the range of potential bridge design details. These elements include, but are not limited to, pier shape, texture, railings, color and potential architectural elements above and below the bridge deck. Community input will be reviewed by the Community Advisory Group, which will help ODOT select the bridge style. Future public meetings and workshops will provide opportunities for the public to visualize options for other details of the design including railings, wall styles, landscaping and concrete patterns and textures. The decommissioned bridge is structurally deficient and cannot be cost-effectively upgraded to accommodate future traffic loads. A temporary bridge was constructed in 2004 to carry traffic until a new permanent replacement bridge could be designed and built. A total of $180 million has been allocated to the project. This cost includes the removal of the existing bridges, replacement of the Canoe Canal bridge, alterations to the interstate and ramps to match up with the new bridge, and a maximum of $70 million for the Willamette River Bridge structure itself. The actual project cost will be determined by the bridge style selected. Funding is provided by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act III (OTIA III) and Federal SAFETEA-LU, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act. OTIA III is ODOT’s 10-year, $3 billion program to repair or replace hundreds of bridges, pave and maintain city and county roads, improve and expand interchanges, add new capacity to Oregon’s highway system and remove transportation bottlenecks statewide. Further project details (including a link to the survey and Environmental Assessment document) are available on the project web site: www.willamettebridge.org. For more information, contact Jamie Damon, Public Involvement Manager, (503) 235-5881; jdamon@jlainvolve.com; or, Tim Dodson, ODOT Project Liaison, (503) 986-3311; timothy.j.dodson@odot.state.or.us. ##ODOT##
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