View full sizeTop deck closures on Portland's Fremont Bridge start this weekend.
The summer of bridge fixing keeps on rolling in Portland.
Starting Friday night,
will partially and fully close the upper deck of the 38-year-old Fremont Bridge through August.
It’s the fourth bridge project to disrupt central Portland traffic over the Willamette River this summer, not to mention the more-frequent lifts caused by high water.
Two southbound lanes on the Fremont’s top deck will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Full closures are scheduled for the weekends of July 29, Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, according to
.
Crews plan to take a break during the weekend of the annual Aug. 14
. Of course, the closures are subject to change depending on the weather, said ODOT spokesman Don Hamilton.
Hamilton said the closures are necessary to safely replace the
on the 2,159-foot-long, 68-foot-wide section of highway at the crown of the bridge.
About 110,200 vehicles cross the Fremont daily.
The Fremont’s asphalt-surface top layer is replaced periodically. But the rutted and worn epoxy asphalt concrete underneath, which helps prevent deck corrosion, hasn’t been redone since the bridge opened in 1973, ODOT said.
Work was originally scheduled to begin last weekend, but the contractor was still trying to perfectly match the unique epoxy asphalt concrete mix, Hamilton said. “The good news,” he said, “is that we’ve got a match.”
ODOT said application of the mix requires dry weather and several hours to cure before it can handle traffic.
Portland motorists, transit riders and bicycle commuters have been forced to adapt to several bridge projects this summer.
, crews have closed lanes and access points as well as the new walking-and-biking path to replace treacherous steel grating at midspan. Portland Streetcar work continues to cause lane closure and require height limits on the Broadway Bridge.
Meanwhile, last month, the high river current from heavy spring rains and frequent bridge lifts pushed
into rush hour. The Hawthorne is also handling more daily motorized and bike traffic because of the Morrison Bridge work.
"Last year the big problem was the Glenn Jackson Bridge on I-205," said Mike Pullen, a Multnomah County transportation spokesman. "This year, it's the downtown bridges.
Pullen said the county has heard frequent complaints about the Morrison Bridge work, especially the confusing nature of the detours for westbound traffic. Those motorists can no longer access the Morrison directly from the eastside, unless they're approaching Interstate 5.
After missing signs directing them to the Hawthorne and Burnside bridges, many frustrated motorists have found themselves on northbound I-5. "I would have to agree with the people who complain that the Morrison closure can be confusing," Pullen said.
With a boost from federal stimulus money and this year's 6-cent-a-gallon state gas-tax hike, ODOT has $220 million to spend on road projects in the Portland region this summer.
I-405‘s northbound lanes on the lower deck will remain open during the paving work.
Here's the Fremont upper-deck closure schedule:
• Partial bridge closure this weekend. The North Kerby Street and the Interstate 5 northbound on-ramps will be closed. The two lanes from I-5 southbound to the Fremont Bridge will remain open, as will the lanes to U.S. 30.
• Full closure from 11 p.m. July 29 to 5 a.m. Aug. 1. All ramps to the upper desk will be closed.
• Full closure from 11 p.m. Aug. 5 to 5 a.m. Aug. 8. All ramps to the upper desk will be closed.
• Full closure from 11 p.m. Aug. 19, to 5 a.m. Aug. 22. All ramps to the upper desk will be closed.
ODOT is recommending this detour for freeway travelers:
Motorists on I-5 southbound and Interstate 84 westbound heading for U.S. 26 should remain on I-5 south to Interstate 405 and head north until reaching U.S. 26. Those heading to U.S. 30 from I-5 can use the same detour via I-405 northbound.
