Multnomah County Commissioners were briefed on a series of cost-saving studies for the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge project at their June 17 board meeting. Project team members explained studies that could shave as much as 20% from the project’s cost and received commissioners’ approval to pursue a federal grant that could help fund the project’s design phase starting in 2022.
Project manager Megan Neill reminded commissioners that the project’s purpose is to create the first resilient lifeline crossing over the Willamette River in the central city that can be used after a major earthquake. The Preferred Alternative that has been recommended by project committees, the public, and the Board of County Commissioners is the Long Span Replacement Bridge. “The Long Span would have the same touchdown points as the current bridge, but with fewer support columns underneath to hold the bridge up,” Neill explained. The longer spans reduce construction in unstable soils near the river.
While the Long Span has the lowest cost of the four alternatives studied in the environmental review phase, Neill said that it still has an estimated cost of more than $800 million. With $300 million in county funds for the project, Neill said “it makes sense to reduce the overall project cost so that this very important project can be funded and ultimately built.” The County is seeking outside funding to close the project’s funding gap.
Project spokesman Mike Pullen described which project elements are being studied to reduce costs.
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Narrower Bridge Width: Reducing the overall width of the bridge by eliminating a traffic lane and providing bicycle/pedestrian facilities of at least 14-feet on each side. A crash-worthy barrier would separate traffic lanes from the bicycle/pedestrian facilities. The new bridge would be about the same width as the current bridge, with one less traffic lane. Estimated cost savings are approximately $140-$165 million.
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Girder Span at West End: A west approach span with a girder design would not have a structure above the deck, maintaining the open views provided by the current bridge. A girder design would place two rows of support columns in Waterfront Park, compared to the current bridge’s four rows and the one row that some other span types would allow. The girder design was endorsed by the Portland Historic Landmarks and Design Commissions because its low height would not conflict with the lower building heights in nearby historic districts. Its estimated cost savings are $5-$10 million.
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Adding Support Columns at East End: Adding a row of support columns on the east approach span in or adjacent to the Burnside Skatepark if a Tied Arch design is used, will also be studied. (Extra columns would not be needed if a more costly Cable Supported design is selected.) The project will explore ways to add the columns with minimal impact to the Skatepark below the bridge. Cost savings are estimated at $15-$20 million.
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Connections to MAX and Esplanade: The project team will identify the least cost option for connections from the bridge to the Skidmore MAX station and Eastbank Esplanade that ensure ADA-compliant access for people with disabilities. The County is seeking opportunities to partner with other agencies to fund facilities and amenities beyond the lowest cost option. The amount of cost savings is to be determined.
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Aesthetics Budget: The project team recommends limiting the budget for aesthetic enhancements and focusing on the main structural form of the new bridge to define its look and feel. The amount of cost savings is to be determined.
Project manager Megan Neill said that the results of the cost savings studies will be shared with the project’s Community Task Force, Policy Group and the public this fall, along with a revised cost estimate. She said the County hopes to establish a cost cap later this year that will help guide project decisions and contain costs until the project is completed.
Neill explained that the project team and county leaders decided not to search for cost savings in these areas:
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Reducing the seismic design standard
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Reducing vehicle lanes from five to three
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Not designing for a future streetcar line
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Eliminating the crash-worthy barrier between traffic lanes and the shared use paths
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Eliminating capacity for heavy haul vehicles that will need to cross the river after an earthquake
Neill explained that the cost-saving studies will extend the project’s environmental review phase into summer 2022. A public comment period will be scheduled in February 2022 so the public can weigh in on recommended cost-saving ideas that will be described in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Design work will begin in the second half of 2022, with construction starting as early as 2025. Neill noted that the revised schedule “gives us more time to seek construction phase funding.”
In a related agenda item that followed, the Board approved the team’s request to apply for a $5 million federal RAISE grant to help fund the design phase.
“People care a lot about our bridges,” Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson said to the presenters, during board remarks. “This project would be a huge change for our downtown area. I will be really interested as we move forward to hear about the feedback from the public and our partner engagement. The ultimate goal is that we have a seismically resilient crossing downtown.”
Commissioner Vega Pederson and Chair Deborah Kafoury co-chair the project’s Policy Group that provides guidance to the project at key milestones.