I-5/Willamette River Bridge Replacement

Week of August 2 - 6, 2010 Southbound I-5 and the Franklin Boulevard on-ramp (milepost 192.8): The on-ramp from Franklin Boulevard to southbound I-5 is closed until late November. Traffic heading to southbound I-5 will detour on Franklin Boulevard to Glenwood Boulevard. Watch for detour signs and flaggers directing traffic. Local neighborhood access remains available at the entrance to the on-ramp. Please follow flagger instructions. Watch for construction vehicles entering and exiting the ramp and travel lanes. Please obey flaggers and drive carefully through the work zone. Northbound I-5 at the Franklin Boulevard exit (milepost 192.8): Please drive carefully through the work zone. Franklin Boulevard under I-5: Watch for roadside work crews and construction vehicles entering and exiting the travel lanes at the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and Jenkins Drive. The median barrier east of I-5 has a change in configuration. Support columns are installed in the median and the shoulder is narrow for eastbound and westbound traffic. Please use caution when driving through this area. Interstate 5 (between mileposts 192.0 and 193.5): Expect occasional weeknight single-lane closures between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. Watch for temporary traffic signs, construction equipment and workers.  Please drive carefully through the work zone. Alton Baker Park and Whilamut Natural Area users: North Walnut Road through the park is closed. Watch for signs directing park users to detour paths. On the North and South Bank Paths, watch for flaggers and expect delays for construction activity. The North Bank Path under I-5 is closed to east-west path users. The path along the Patterson Slough is open. Watch for flaggers and expect brief delays for construction activities.

(click image to enlarge)

If you'd like to learn more about the
Franklin Exit closure, click here.

Path Detours During Construction (Click for larger PDF)

E-Mail Updates
To receive weekly e-mail construction updates, go to the Manage E-mail Subscriptions page.

Anticipated Traffic Impacts
Throughout the project, two lanes will be maintained in each direction on I-5 using staged construction with lane shifts. There will be occasional closures of the off- and on-ramps at Franklin Boulevard. There will also be occasional closures of Franklin Boulevard.

The Work Schedule
The project schedule depends on weather and a number of other factors. Please check with this website or the other resources mentioned, for the latest information on schedule and traffic control.

More project information is also available at www.willamettebridge.org and the Willamette River Bridge Project blog. You can also follow OregonDOT on Twitter.

What is the I-5 Willamette River Bridge Replacement?

• The purpose of the project is to improve safety and maintain connectivity and mobility for all users of I-5 over the Willamette River and the Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area.
  
• It was not cost-effective to repair or widen the original I-5 Willamette River Bridge to accommodate projected traffic increases. An inspection of the original bridge in 2002 found it to have major structural problems that threatened its stability and safety.
  
• The original bridge also was designed using standards that are no longer appropriate for the size of longer, heavier modern freight trucks. The bridge has substandard shoulders, creating a safety problem.
  
• ODOT opened a temporary bridge in 2004 as an interim solution to keep the route open for freight and other vehicles until a new bridge could be built. The temporary bridge was constructed using materials and methods that could be installed quickly, but that do not meet environmental, design or seismic standards for permanent freeway bridges.

How Is The Project Being Funded?
The $201 million is funded by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act and Federal SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) earmark funds.

The OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s 10-year, $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act. OTIA funds are repairing or replacing hundreds of bridges, paving and maintaining city and county roads, improving and expanding interchanges, adding new capacity to Oregon’s highway system and removing freight bottlenecks statewide. Based on 2008 dollars, about 14 family-wage jobs are sustained for every $1 million spent on transportation construction in Oregon. Each year during the remainder of the OTIA program, we estimate that construction projects will sustain an average of 4,100 family-wage jobs.

How Can I Get More Information?
Contact:

• Rick Little
  ODOT Public Information Officer
  (541) 726-2442
  Richard.LITTLE@odot.state.or.us
• Metro Phone Hotline: 984-8484 – call this number to hear updated recordings on the project
  
• Highway Advisory Radio: 1660 AM – similar to the Metro Hotline with recorded updates of project information

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