A project that begins this weekend will repair damage to the eastbound Hawthorne viaduct above SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. that occurred in September when a truck transporting a high load struck a steel girder on the viaduct.

The repairs will take several months to complete. The damaged girder that spans MLK Jr. Blvd. will be replaced.  Concrete supports and a section of the viaduct deck will be rebuilt.  The repairs will require changes to traffic patterns on the viaduct and MLK Jr. Blvd. at times, starting this weekend.

A contractor will remove the damaged girder in a 12-hour operation starting Saturday at 10 pm and ending at 10 am on Sunday.  During the operation motor vehicle and sidewalk traffic on MLK Jr. Blvd. will be detoured around the viaduct.  The detour for MLK Jr. Blvd. traffic will be:

·                    Right on SE Main St.

·                    Left on SE 3rd Ave.

·                    Left on SE Clay St.

·                    Right on SE MLK Jr. Blvd.

The onramp from MLK Jr. Blvd. to the Hawthorne Bridge westbound will remain open.

On the Hawthorne viaduct one traffic lane and a bicycle lane will remain open during the 12-hour operation.  Pedestrians should continue to use the sidewalk down the ramp to SE Clay St. or the stairs to SE 3rd Ave. 

After Sunday, the traffic pattern on the viaduct will vary depending on whether or not the contractor is working.  During work hours, one traffic lane and an adjacent bike lane will be open.  During non-work hours, two traffic lanes will be open and the bike lane will be located between the work zone fence and a concrete barrier.  Demolition work will continue Monday through Friday, November 15 – 19.  The work will require lane closures on SE MLK Jr. Blvd. during off peak hours between 7 am and 3:30 pm.  The weekday work will not close all lanes on SE MLK Jr. Blvd.

MultnomahCounty maintains the Hawthorne Bridge while the City of Portland maintains SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.  For more information, visit www.multco.us/bridges.

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