The Interstate 5 bridge trunnions on Aug. 9.
Motorists who take the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River should be aware of partial and full closures that began Aug. 17, The Oregon Department of Transportation announced last week.
The first closures over the next month are set for nights beginning at 8 p.m. from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20. Work crews will begin preparing medians to allow crossover traffic for a more intensive project next month, putting in signs and adding temporary structures to support the lift span that is the focus of the major work September.
At 8 p.m. one lane in each direction of I-5 will be closed, with an additional lane closed 10 p.m. ODOT expects all lanes to reopen 5 a.m.
About a month after the initial closures, the entire northbound span of the interstate bridge will be closed from just after midnight Sept. 12 through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 20.
The three lanes of the southbound span will handle traffic going both ways during the closure, ODOT stated, with two lanes open for the morning commute going southbound and two going northbound during the afternoon commute. The southbound sidewalk will be open at all times for pedestrians and cyclists.
I-5 Southbound will have its own closures from Sept. 21 to Sept. 27, with its left lane closed as part of a median barrier upgrade and project wrap-up, ODOT stated.
ODOT is also reporting nighttime lane closures on I-5 and bridge lifts up to half an hour before and after the planned September changes. Ramp closures on and off the interstate are also anticipated between State Route 14 and Victory Boulevard in Portland.
The closures are part of a project to replace mechanical parts that help to lift and lower the northbound span, ODOT stated. Low river levels during September make the work more viable given the necessity to not impede marine traffic on the Columbia River.
More information on bridge work and closures is available at interstatebridge.org
