Weekend closure of Isthmus Slough Bridge, Aug. 17

The Isthmus Slough Bridge is scheduled to be closed to motor traffic the final two weekends of August for repair work. The first closure is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 17, and will continue until 6 a.m. on Monday, August 20. Weather permitting, the bridge will be closed the same hours the following weekend, from Friday night, August 24, to Monday morning, August 27. A nine-mile detour will be in place both weekends. From Eastside, traffic will detour along Olive Barber Road, Ross Inlet Road, and Coos-Sumner Lane to U.S. 101 (Oregon Coast Highway). Motorists should look for detour signs and observe the speed limit along the route. Pedestrian access across the bridge will be maintained, although brief delays may be necessary. Flaggers will provide assistance to pedestrians, including those with disabilities, crossing the bridge. ODOT is coordinating with local emergency services to provide police, fire and ambulance coverage in the Eastside area. The closures will allow prime contractor Hamilton Construction to replace the bridge’s steel deck grates, paint the ends of the drawbridge and replace the wooden sidewalks. The bridge was closed two weekends in June for similar work. The Isthmus Slough Bridge Rehabilitation project will repair and resurface the deck, modify the deck drains, reconstruct expansion joints, seal cracks on the concrete surface of the bridge, repair welds, replace bolts, remove rust, and replace the electrical system. Construction on the $9 million project is scheduled for completion in October 2019. The project website is available at www.IsthmusSloughBridge.com.