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Project-Details







St. Johns Bridge Repair Project

Construction Phase

Region 1: Portland metro and Hood River County (Portland, Multnomah)


​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are improving the long-term safety and lifespan of the St. J​​ohns Bridge by repairing the concrete on the pier columns and arches under the bridge. Repairing the concrete will protect the bridge's steel internal frame and reinforcements from corrosion, maintaining the service life of ​this beloved Portland Historic Landmark.


Impacts

Traffic Impact

Saturday, Mar. 23​ - Saturday, Mar. 30​

  • Pedestrian detours.​​

The St. Johns Bridge will remain open and minimal traffic, pedestrian and bicycle impacts are expected during construction. ​

Work in Cathedral Park is underway. Please scroll down for visual impacts in Cathedral Park.

The concrete requires more repairs than originally planned, so the project timeline is extended through June 2025. Crews anticipate completing work in Cathedral Park in February 2025.

The work will require the following impacts for two to three months each:

  • U.S. 30 Bypass (NW Bridge Avenue) at the St. Johns Bridge nighttime lane, shoulder and one bridge sidewalk closure. Flaggers will direct vehicle, bike and foot traffic during closures. One lane of vehicle traffic in each direction will stay open on the bridge, keeping the freight route open.
  • The two N Philadelphia Avenue frontage roads connecting N Syracuse Avenue and N Willamette Avenue will close. The southern frontage road will remain open to local access.
  • U.S. 30 (NW St. Helens Road) westbound lanes under the bridge will shift toward the median and the median width will reduce. Lanes may temporarily close during lane shifts, staging and removal of scaffolding.
  • Temporary sidewalk closures on one side of the bridge at a time. Detour signage will direct people to crosswalks on each end of the bridge. People on bikes can continue to ride in the vehicle travel lane or walk their bikes on the open sidewalk. 
Construction may cause intermittent parking closures near Cathedral Park and the project area. The designated freight route will be maintained and no impacts to river traffic are expected.

Construction Impacts

Cathedral Park Impacts

Work in Cathedral Park started in October 2022 and will continues through February 2025. Cathedral Park will remain open during construction. Crews will enclose the active work areas around the bridge pier columns, as well as the east and west anchor houses. Fencing will surround work areas in the park. These areas will close to park users.

The safety of our workers, park users, and travelers is our highest priority. Detours and flaggers may direct people in the park away from work areas. Pathways near pier columns in the park may temporarily close during construction. Park users may hear noise during the day or see construction equipment.

Intermittent work will minimize impacts to summer events in Cathedral Park. Illustration of the arches and columns under the St. Johns Bridge during construction and after completion.
 Illustrations are not to scale. For informational purposes only.

Visual impacts
Cathedral Park is a popular spot for personal and professional photography. Scaffolding and wrapping are currently covering the pier columns ​and arches while work is occurring, impacting views under the St. Johns Bridge in Cathedral Park during construction. Work to repair the bridge pier columns in Cathedral Park is currently underway. 

Wedding impacts

Per Portland Parks and Recreation, wedding permits for the Cathedral Park Staircase and Deck are not available as of October 1, 2022 for the safety of our crews and park users. A simple wedding ceremony consisting of no more than the couple, officiant, and two witnesses is allowed​ on a first-come, first-served basis, as bridge repair work allows. The Cathedral Park Amphitheater is available for reservations as usual. Learn more at portland.gov/parks/wedding.

Pictured: Example scaffolding and wrapping around pier columns within a work area under a bridge.

Schedule

As of fall 2023, crews have restored five of the 13 pier columns and archways in need of repair. To complete the remaining pier columns, we've extended the project timeline. The anticipated completion date of construction in the park is now February 2025.

Each pier takes approximately six to 24 weeks to repair depending on the pier size and concrete condition. The graphic below shows the repair schedule for the piers in Cathedral Park. Piers 1 and 2 (in the parking lot of the park) are complete and pier 13 (on the westside of the bridge) will be completed in June 2025.

Illustration of pier repair schedule in Cathedral Park. The illustration shows the piers numbered 3 through 10 and the order of completion. Pier 3 and 4 are completed; piers 6 and 10 are in progress, and piers 5, 7,8 and 9 are next.

Intermittent work will minimize impacts to summer events in Cathedral Park. We will provide more details and updates about the project throughout construction. Schedule is subject to change due to unforeseen weather or site conditions.

Details

About

Built in 1931, the St. Johns Bridge is a registered Portland Historical Landmark that serves diverse local and regional travelers. More than 22,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day. It is also a popular bike and transit route and is a designated freight route.​

This project follows maintenance work to the steel frame recently completed in 2019.​

Illustrations are not to scale. For informational purposes only.

Other ODOT projects in the area

We are working on other projects in the area to improve safety and mobility for everyone.

Other projects in the ar​​ea:


NW Bridge Avenue – SE Ramp: Rockfall Mitigation Project
About: We are improving safety and preventing rockfall on NW Bridge Avenue (U.S. 30 Bypass) southeast of the St. Johns Bridge.  The project removes hazardous vegetation, scales loose rock and installs pinned mesh to prevent future rockfall.

St Johns Bridge Repair
About: We are improving the long-term safety and lifespan of the St. J​​ohns Bridge by repairing the concrete on the pier columns and arches under the bridge. Repairing the concrete will protect the bridge's steel internal frame and reinforcements from corrosion, maintaining the service life of ​this beloved Portland Historic Landmark.

NW Industrial Area Repavement
About: We are improving safety and preventing rockfall on NW Bridge Avenue (U.S. 30 Bypass) southeast of the St. Johns Bridge.  The project removes hazardous vegetation, scales loose rock and installs pinned mesh to prevent future rockfall.

Willamette River Stormwater Improvement
About: We are preparing to construct 26 stormwater treatment facilities near three highways in Portland to protect fish, wildlife, water quality, and public health. These facilities filter water runoff and reduce pollutants from entering the Willamette River. Each treatment system will be connected to existing stormwater systems to reduce cost by expanding the performance of our current system. 

U.S. 30 Culvert Rehabilitation
About: The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is designing repair work to strengthen and lengthen the life of four culverts under U.S. 30 between NW Portland to Scappoose.​​​


Location

U.S. 30BY |

​The St. Johns Bridge spans the Willamette River connecting Northwest and North Portland. Work will happen on the pier columns and anchor houses under the bridge on both sides of the river, the railing on the east side of the bridge, U.S 30 Bypass (NW Bridge Avenue), and the two N Philadelphia Avenue frontage roads. Cathedral Park is located under the bridge on the eastside.

Cost and Funding

​​$13,284,662 ​

Contractor

Wildish Standard Paving Co.

Benefits

We’re improving the long-term safety and lifespan of the St. Johns Bridge by repairing the concrete on the pier columns and arches under the bridge.​ Repairing the concrete will protect the bridge’s steel internal frame and reinforcements from corrosion, maintaining the service life of this beloved Portland Historic Landmark.

What Problem Will This Improve?

This is the first comprehensive concrete repair since the bridge was built in 1931. After 90 years, the concrete is chipping away and exposing the internal steel frame inside the pier columns.

Chipping concrete under the St. Johns Bridge today.Pictured above: Chipping concrete and exposed steel frame inside the pier columns of the St. Johns Bridge today.

Additional Information

​For ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) or Civil Rights Title VI accommodations, translation/interpretation services, or more information call 503-731-4128, TTY 800-735-2900 or Oregon Relay Service 7-1-1. 

Si desea obtener información sobre este proyecto traducida al español, sírvase llamar al 503-731-4128.

 Если вы хотите, чтобы информация об этом проекте была переведена на русский язык, пожалуйста, звоните по телефону 503-731-4128.
 
如果您想瞭解這個項目翻譯成 繁體中文 的相關資訊,請致電(503)731-4128. 如果您想了解这个项目翻译成 简体中文 的相关信息,请致电503-731-4128.
 
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Contacts & Media

https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Projects/Project%20Images/37899-SJB-CathedralPark.jpg.jpg

Image Gallery

Project Contact

Community Affairs Coordinator
Ellen Waters
Email
Ellen.WATERS@odot.oregon.gov
Phone
971-336-1249
Project Accommodation Request
503-731-4128

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Last Updated

3/22/2024 12:37 PM

Project Number

37899

Project Documents

Related documents to this project
37899-SJB-Newsletter-Feb-2022-English.pdfSt. Johns Bridge Repair Project Newsletter, February 2022
37899-SJB-Newsletter-Feb-2022-Espanol.pdfBoletín del proyecto de reparación del puente de St. Johns, febrero de 2022
37899-SJB-Newsletter-Feb-2022-Vietnamese.pdfBản tin, Dự Án Sữa Chữa Cầu St. John, Tháng Hai năm 2022
37899 US 30 Corridor Mailer 12.2023.pdfA mailer with updates on six projects near U.S. 30 and U.S. 30 Byway.