The Sellwood Bridge Community Advisory Committee will review options for a rock cut on the west side of the project at a meeting on Monday, August 23 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm at SMILE Station, 8210 SE 13th Avenue.  Meetings are open to the public and include time for public comment. 

Several options will be presented for a tall rock cut that will be required on Highway 43 on the north side of the bridge, due to the wider interchange that will be constructed.  The meeting agenda will include a presentation of technical scoring for different criteria the committee will consider before recommending a structure type for the new bridge next month.  The criteria categories include cost, construction time, constructability, impacts to social and natural environments, sustainability, seismic performance, and maintainability.  

Structure type options for the new bridge include a steel or concrete box girder, steel plate girder, delta frame, deck tied arch or deck arch (in steel or concrete), extradosed, or through arch (in steel or a concrete/steel hybrid).  Descriptions and images of the bridge type options are featured on the project website at www.sellwoodbridge.org.  

A preferred alternative has been recommended that identified the location, cross section and interchange type for the replacement bridge.  Design decisions will not be made until after the federal government approves the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement. A Record of Decision by the Federal Highway Administration is expected next month.  Design work should begin in late 2010, with construction likely to start in 2012, if funding is secured. 

The advisory committee includes local residents representing different project stakeholder groups.  Members represent associations for neighborhoods, businesses, bridge neighbors, transportation modes that use the bridge, river users, and design professionals. 

Multnomah County maintains the Sellwood Bridge and 300 miles of roads and bridges.  For project information, visit www.sellwoodbridge.org.  

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