After being rained out two weeks in a row, Multnomah County is going to try one more time this weekend to close the Burnside Bridge to setup for the upcoming maintence project. Good luck…

After being rained out two weeks in a row, Multnomah County is going to try one more time this weekend to close the Burnside Bridge to set up for the upcoming maintence project. Good luck…

The Burnside Bridge will be closed to road and sidewalk traffic from 8:00 pm on Friday, January 20 until as late as 6:00 am on Monday, January 23 to allow a contractor to set up traffic control and a work zone for a two-year construction project that begins this month. The bridge will be closed to motor vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians but will still open for river traffic. TriMet bus routes 12, 19 and 20 will use the Morrison Bridge during the closure. The bridge will reopen before Monday if work is completed early.

The start of field work has been postponed twice this month due to inclement weather. The contractor has made arrangements to set up the work zone and place new lane stripes in the rain if necessary, so this weekend’s closure will not be postponed.

When the bridge reopens there will be a single lane of traffic in each direction and a path for pedestrians and bicyclists on each side of the bridge. Several traffic lanes will be closed so that the contractor can begin to replace the worn concrete deck on the lift span. The $9 million project will also repair or replace parts that allow the 79-year-old bridge to open. Both repairs are critical to the drawbridge’s operation.