(July 3, 2024) The SW Capitol Highway ramp to SW Barbur Boulevard is closing for six weeks for repairs starting on Monday, July 15. Ongoing wear and tear on the 66-year-old bridge has caused distress to the structure, requiring a full-depth concrete repair of the bridge deck.
In 2018, the same ramp was closed abruptly for repairs after a hole appeared in the bridge deck and concrete fell onto SW Barbur Boulevard below. Similar distress in the bridge deck has been observed recently which needs to be addressed proactively before additional damage occurs.
This time, the 554-foot-long and 66-year-old bridge will require repairs that will take approximately six weeks, as crews remove and replace the failing concrete on the bridge deck. The closure is for all bridge users, including people on bikes.
During the six-week construction period, SW Barbur Boulevard will also have periodic, daytime single lane closures for the safety of people traveling below the SW Capitol Highway ramp.
All eastbound motor vehicle travelers will be detoured to SW Barbur Boulevard during construction using either SW Terwilliger or Bertha boulevards. People traveling by car westbound on SW Capitol Highway from SW Barbur Boulevard will be unaffected.
People biking northbound towards downtown should use SW Terwilliger Boulevard as a detour route. People biking can use SW Capitol Highway or SW Terwilliger Boulevard for their return trip into the Hillsdale neighborhood and beyond.
The steel-and-concrete girder bridge is owned by the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Based on National Bridge Inspection Standards, the Oregon Department of Transportation inspects this and all other public, traffic carrying bridges in Oregon at least every two years. The bridge is due for its next inspection this September.
People driving eastbound on SW Capitol Highway and SW Beaverton Hillsdale should follow detour signage directing them to SW Bertha Boulevard to access SW Barbur Boulevard northbound.
People riding transit should visit trimet.org/#alerts/ for the latest service impacts.
The traveling public is advised to expect delays while repairs are being made. We ask the public to travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by reader boards and flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible.
This work is weather-dependent and the schedule may change.