Sellwood crack repairs aim to extend bridge life

This is a press release courtesy of Multnomah County

Sellwood Bridge repairs scheduled for August are designed to extend the service life of the bridge by filling concrete cracks to prevent steel corrosion and further cracking.  Field work is expected to begin on Monday, August 11, 2008 and last two weeks.  The work will require the bridge to be closed to traffic (except for bikes and pedestrians) on six nights, August 15th and August 18th through 22nd, from 6:30 pm to 5:00 am.

The vehicle weight limit on the bridge was reduced to 10 tons in 2004 after cracks were found in concrete girders that support the bridge deck.  This summer’s repairs will not allow those weight limits to be increased.  But the project should extend the life of the bridge at its current service level until a long-term solution is implemented.

The $100,000 project involves cleaning 450 lineal feet of cracks and filling them with an epoxy.  The process prevents water from corroding steel rebar in the concrete and slows the growth of cracks. The work was recommended by an independent engineering study in 2005.

The concrete cracks are on the land-based approaches to the bridge on both sides of the river.  The cracks will be injected with epoxy on weeknights when the bridge is closed to traffic.  The bridge closures are needed in order for workers to access cracks from a vehicle mounted on the narrow bridge deck and to allow the epoxy to cure without vibrations from traffic.  On two nights the northbound lane of Highway 43 that passes under the bridge will also need to be closed due to work above the highway.  The lane will be re-routed west of the bridge so that two-way traffic is maintained on Highway 43 at all times.

When the bridge is closed, the nearest alternate river crossing to the north is the Ross Island Bridge.  Access to the Ross Island Bridge is available via Highway 43/SW Macadam Ave. on the west side and via SE Milwaukie Ave. and SE Powell Blvd. on the east side. The nearest bridges to the south are the Abernethy Bridge (I-205) and the Oregon City Bridge.

Multnomah County maintains the Sellwood Bridge and more than 300 miles of roads and bridges.