Office of Communications
News Release
501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 600
Portland Oregon 97214
Public survey seeks input on structure type for new Sellwood Bridge
Online survey closes August 8
Contacts:
Mike Pullen, Public Affairs Office, 503-988-6804, mike.j.pullen@co.multnomah.or.us
Should the new Sellwood Bridge be tall and slender or low and boxy? Contemporary or classical? Showy or minimalist?
Before a structure type for the new bridge is selected this fall, Multnomah County wants to know what you think. Share your views by taking an online survey at www.sellwoodbridge.org through August 8. Descriptions and images of the bridge type options are featured on the project website.
Structure types in the running are:
- Box girder (in steel or concrete)
- Steel plate girder
- Delta frame
- Deck tied arch (in steel or concrete)
- Deck arch (in steel or concrete)
- Extradosed
- Through arch (in steel or a concrete/steel hybrid)
The options must meet a basic set of criteria, including:
- Cost $170 million or less
- Can be built without a long-term bridge closure
- Minimize impacts to the environment and private property
- Accommodate streetcar
- Do not require a raised median dividing the deck
A decision on the structure type will be made by the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners this fall. Federal approval of the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is needed before the structure type can be selected. Design work should begin in late 2010, with construction likely to start in 2012.
MultnomahCounty maintains the Sellwood Bridge, five other Willamette River bridges and 300 miles of roads. For more information, visit www.sellwoodbridge.org.