Photo: Multnomah County
Multnomah County’s contractor for its Morrison Bridge painting project is mobilizing to begin a project that will continue into summer 2023. By 7 am on Thursday, January 6, the contractor will close the bridge onramp from southbound SW Naito Parkway and the north sidewalk on the bridge between SW Naito Parkway and the TriMet bus stop above SE Water Ave.
The onramp and sidewalk will remain closed through 2022. The bus stop will remain open. After the onramp closes, eastbound traffic will access the Morrison Bridge from SW Alder St. and SW 2ndAve.
The ramp and sidewalk closure will allow the contractor to set up equipment and install a work platform that painters will use below the bridge deck. The bridge’s south sidewalk will remain open. The north sidewalk, which has stairs under two freeway ramps, is little used compared to the wider south sidewalk.
Additional impacts to bridge users are expected later in January. Southern Road and Bridge of Tarpon Springs, Florida is the general contractor for the project that will remove the original lead-based paint from steel surfaces on the four river spans and the easternmost river span that extends over the Eastbank Esplanade. The bridge has not been repainted since it opened in 1958.
The contractor will set up containment structures to ensure that old paint being removed and new paint being applied are not released into the environment. The areas to be painted are all below the bridge deck except for metal parapets and curbs along the bridge sidewalks of the lift span. The bridge will be repainted silver. Additional work on the topside of the bridge will include replacement of the sidewalk panels on the lift span, and cleaning of the canopies, handrails and exterior of the operator towers.
Steel bridges are repainted to prevent structural steel from corroding and losing strength. The project will identify and repair areas of steel that have corroded, such as areas where moisture is persistent.
For more information, visit www.multco.us/morrisonpaint. Multnomah County maintains the Morrison Bridge and five other Willamette River bridges.
Source: Multnomah County