ODOT release – SALEM — This year’s Bridge Condition Report highlights the challenge ODOT faces in balancing the needs of ODOT’s major bridges with the needs of smaller bridges that are still vital to the overall transportation system but rarely noticed by the travelling public. With more than 2,700 state highway bridges that vary in size, age, type, and condition, the state’s needs will always outpace our resources. We prioritize maintaining the bridges we have thereby stretching their lifespan, as long as we can do so safely. Unsustainable Funding – Current funding levels pay on average for only three bridge replacements a year. At this rate, an Oregon bridge will need to stay in service for over 900 years, well beyond the expected service life of 75-100 years. Major bridges are expensive to maintain and replace and due to numerous factors like inflation, workforce capacity and delayed maintenance, often require special funding beyond the money allocated to the State Bridge Program, such as House Bill 2017. In 2022, ODOT only replaced one bridge. However, five of the 27 major bridges are scheduled for rehabilitation projects in the upcoming 2025-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The combined cost for these five projects is over $230 million, representing approximately 25% of the funding available to address the needs of all 2,771 state highway bridges in the 2025-2027 STIP. ODOT regularly inspects and monitors bridges throughout the state to ensure safety and long-term viability. ODOT ranks bridges from poor to good condition every year. While ODOT was recently awarded funds through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the amount still falls short of addressing the significant needs of our aging infrastructure. These are funds in the bill that are specifically intended for bridge replacement, rehabilitation and preservation, but there is a requirement that each state spend a minimum of 15% of the funding to address bridges that are not on the Federal Aid System, like small city- or county-owned bridges. This process allows each state to make measurable progress in reducing the number of smaller bridges in poor condition, but this requirement leaves less money to preserve major bridges in their current condition. ODOT’s Seismic Program Making Progress – One bright spot in the report: Our efforts to make more bridges around the state earthquake ready. Here are some highlights: Design is underway for the Oregon 22 Center Street Bridge project in Salem. This project will address seismic vulnerabilities for the bridge and will ensure a resilient structure for high traffic volumes and an emergency lifeline route. Last May, Oregon 38 traffic was shifted from the 93-year-pld bridge to the new Umpqua River Bridge (Scottsburg Bridge). This is a big step to making Oregon 38 a resilient route that will allow for emergency response and economic recover after a Cascadia event. In 2022, we also broke ground on the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project. Not only is this bridge the most significant structure to undergo seismic retrofit to date, but it will also become the only reliable point for our interstate traffic to cross the Willamette River after a major seismic event affecting the Portland Metro area. A few additional highlights of the Seismic Program include eight more bridges along the I-205 corridor that will be either replaced or seismically retrofitted and the Southern Oregon Seismic Bridge Retrofit project that includes 15 bridges to be either seismically retrofitted or replaced. To learn more about the condition of Oregon’s bridges, read our 2022 Bridge Conditions Report on our Bridge Section website.
