Pamplin Media Group – Cost-Saving Measures to Replace Burnside Bridge Head to First Vote

The Multnomah County Commission plans to vote on proposals to reduce the cost of the Burnside Bridge replacement project.

The Multnomah County Commission plans to vote on measures that could significantly reduce the cost of the Burnside Earthquake-Ready Bridge replacement project.

Last spring, amid epidemic-related price hikes and competition for construction resources,

County officials have asked the bridge project team to consider ways to reduce project costs.

Without cost-saving measures, county officials estimate the project would cost about $1 billion.

The Project’s Community Action Team will hold a virtual meeting from 6-8pm on Monday, January 24, to consider public input on three cost-saving measures and make recommendations. The committee, which was formed to make recommendations during the bridge replacement process, is made up of about 20 local business leaders, members of community groups and other individuals.

The county is accepting comments from the public before the meeting through Monday noon. Comments can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The project aims to build a bridge that can withstand the impact of a major earthquake, creating what officials call the “first lifeline to cross the Willamette River” in downtown Portland.

Geologists say there is a 1 in 3 chance that an earthquake of magnitude 8 or higher will occur in the region within the next 50 years, likely to cause widespread damage to buildings, roads and other infrastructure. It’s been more than 300 years since the last major earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, a fault in the Earth’s crust that stretches from British Columbia to northern California.

In Fall 2020, the Community Action Team recommended that the project include an alternative “long-term” bridge with a movable central span.

County staff published a draft environmental impact statement for the proposal in February 2021 and collected public comment in the following weeks.

After the project’s estimated cost rose from $825-915 million to $1 billion, due in part to pandemic-related price increases in labor and materials, county officials asked the project team to identify cost-saving measures.

Monday’s meeting will include a briefing on 1,500 public comments collected last fall for three actions that could reduce the project’s cost by $185 to $240 million, according to county officials.

One procedure involves narrowing the proposed bridge designs to approximately the width of the existing bridge. It will reduce the number of vehicle lanes from five to four and narrow the common space for cyclists and pedestrians. Officials say space for cyclists and pedestrians will remain wider than what the current bridge provides. This measure can reduce costs by 140-165 million dollars.

Another procedure involves choosing a girder structure for the western approach to the bridge rather than an arch or cable span. Officials say the measure could cut costs by $20 million to $40 million.

The third measure involves building a basic drawbridge similar to the existing one, instead of a proposed vertical drawbridge, which could reduce costs by $25-35 million, according to the project team.

Officials say the cost-saving measures will increase the likelihood that the county will complete the project.

To pay for the project, county officials plan to access about $300 million available in local vehicle registration fee proceeds, according to the county’s website.

But they need to secure additional resources to bridge the funding gap, and work to receive financial commitments from other local, state and federal sources, including the recently passed Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Act.

The Multnomah County Policy Group for the project is expected to vote on the recommendations issued by the community working group on March 3. After that, the approved recommendations are voted on by the Board of Commissioners in the following week.

Officials expect to complete the environmental review process later this year, with design work to be completed in the fall.

Officials say construction could begin in 2025.

More information about the project is available at www.multco.us/earthquake-ready-burnside-bridge.

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