ODOT outlines phased Center Street Bridge retrofit; crews will start in-water work next year

ODOT Region 2 project staff briefed the City Council on May 27 about a complex, multi-year seismic retrofit and replacement program for the Center Street Bridge. The project is being delivered in two phases: phase 1 will retrofit the river span, address the east‑side ramps and replace or upgrade the city water line that runs on the bridge; phase 2 will address the west ramps and foundations that sit in a seismically liquefiable zone.

Project rationale and approach: Project manager Andrew Walker said the project team divided the work after design analysis showed extensive liquefaction risk on the West Side. “Once you get into that level of replacement it becomes more appropriate to consider full replacement rather than retrofit,” Walker said, which is why the west‑side work is moving as a second-phase item while design, cost and funding options are analyzed.

Construction methods and impacts: Phase 1 will include in‑water strengthening using enlarged foundations and driven piles; to do that work the contractor will construct temporary cofferdams and a work bridge in the river so crews can work in the dry. The west side likely requires “super‑bents” (drilled shaft supports) similar to techniques used on Portland’s Abernathy Bridge, Walker said. ODOT expects some large crane lifts (including one full‑length beam) that require nighttime full closures; the department plans approximately four nighttime full‑bridge closures (short duration) and several multi‑month lane‑closure periods while work proceeds.

Water line and resiliency benefits: The phase‑1 work includes replacing the water line on the bridge; ODOT said the retrofit will result in a seismically resilient water connection for West Salem where existing lines are not now seismically protected.

Schedule and outreach: ODOT’s target schedule is to complete design and permitting, bid the project in early 2026 and begin major construction in mid‑2026, with project completion expected in 2029. Between February and April, ODOT reported it reached more than 500 people on an email list, did door‑to‑door contacts with more than 300 nearby residents and held an online open house and dozens of community briefings. Monthly and event‑specific coordination with police, fire and emergency medical services is planned; ODOT said it will maintain boat‑ramp access and keep the Water Street entrance to park parking open during most work.

Traffic detours and parking impacts: ODOT said planned major nighttime closures will rely on long detours for regional traffic (for example via Newberg or Corvallis) and the city should expect increased local traffic on detour routes. In‑park impacts will include temporary use of parking areas during construction, and staff said they are negotiating mitigation measures including adding roughly ten replacement spaces and exploring paid parking leases nearby for overflow.

Ending: ODOT said this is an aggressive schedule and emphasized the importance of coordination with the city on emergency response plans during the phased work; the west‑side phase will move forward after a refined engineering and funding analysis.