Broadway Bridge Closures This Week: Multnomah County

PORTLAND, OR — Multnomah County maintenance crews will close the Broadway Bridge in Portland to all traffic this week while contracted workers adjust a recently-installed piece of the drawbridge, county officials announced last Friday.

All street traffic — not river traffic — will be affected Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Aug. 8 through 10, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Late night commuters are directed to detour over the Steel or Fremont bridges during the closures.

TriMet's 17-Broadway/Holgate bus route will use the Steel Bridge, Multnomah County spokesman Mike Pullen said.

"It is possible that only two nights will be needed to complete the work, which involves installing steel shims under a steel bearing that supports the east leaf of the drawbridge," Pullen said, adding, "The drawbridge will need to be in the up (open) position during the work, which will not impact river traffic."

The project to update the 100-year-old bridge began in 2017 with the replacement of the four 8-foot diameter steel Rall wheels that help open and close the Broadway Bridge.

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Prior to their replacement, the same four original Rall wheels had reportedly been used since the bridge opened in 1913.

The four-lane bridge reportedly sees upward of 30,000 vehicles per day.

For more information on the Broadway Bridge Rall wheel project, visit MultCo.us/BroadwayRall. And learn more about Portland's six Willamette River-crossing bridges at MultCo.us/Bridges, or follow the county's Twitter account @MultCoBridges.

Image via Multnomah County