The Oregon Department of Transportation has broken ground on the first phase of the I-205 Improvements Project with initial work occurring around the Abernethy Bridge.
Residents should anticipate additional impacts to bike and pedestrian paths along OR 99, along with river impacts, such as no wake zones, during construction. The Jon Storm Park parking lot under the bridge in Oregon City closed on May 31 and will remain closed through 2025.
ODOT has issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Kiewit Infrastructure West, which means the contracting process is underway with Kiewit to build the first phase of the I-205 Improvements Project.
Kiewit is involved in transportation infrastructure projects nationwide and built Portland’s Tilikum Crossing. Pending the contract award, Abernethy Bridge work will begin this summer and last through 2025.
The project’s first phase includes upgrading the Abernethy Bridge to withstand a major earthquake and widening it to accommodate three travel lanes in each direction, improving the interchanges at OR 43 and OR 99E to make travel safer, and installing a sound wall near exit 9 on southbound I-205.
When completed, the bridge will accommodate three lanes in each direction, be earthquake-ready, and feature improved on-and off- ramps, among other improvements.
The improvements in the first phase have been approved by the Oregon Transportation Commission and have been funded through the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program.
When completed, these improvements will “help make everyday travel safer and healthier for Oregonians, while also supporting a vibrant state economy,” said Brendan Finn, Director of ODOT’s Urban Mobility Office. Additional work along the I-205 corridor is planned and schedules are under development.
Additionally, this is the first ODOT project to participate in a pilot workforce development program under the Federal Highway Administration. This pilot will prioritize hiring from economically distressed zip codes in Multnomah, Marion, Clackamas and Washington counties.
ODOT will host several community events within the project area and will hold two in-person open houses, scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. June 28 at the Pioneer Community Center in Oregon City and 5 to 7 p.m. June 30 at the Adult Community Center in West Linn.
For more information or to sign up for email or text alerts, visit the project’s website at i205corridor.org.
ODOT says this first phase of design and construction is fully funded, but it is continuing to explore enacting a toll program to finance future phases of the project, despite the deep unpopularity of the proposal among residents and elected officials alike.