Greetings!
It’s hard to live in Portland and not have heard about the Sellwood Bridge. The busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon with 30,000 vehicles crossing each day, the Bridge has become
increasingly overloaded and has been experiencing structural problems that are making it unsafe. Remember the interstate bridge that collapsed in Minnesota in 2007? It had a “structural sufficiency rating” of 50 on a scale of 100. The Sellwood Bridge is rated a 2 on the same scale. It’s long past time this vital link was replaced.
This long-overdue replacement will cause problems for the Sellwood and Macadam Avenue areas until the bridge is completed in 2015. The new design minimizes the impact as much as possible by limiting the bridge closures to 30 days total throughout the reconstruction, but there will still be disruptions. We expect our own business to be particularly hard hit, as the footprint of the construction area stops right at the edge of our parking lot. Three years ago, we asked our clients whether they thought the bridge construction would affect their use of our service. The overwhelming majority said they would stay with us, and we are very grateful. But now the project is a reality and the question is no longer hypothetical.
We’d like to make a special appeal to our clients (and on behalf of the other area businesses that will be affected) to bear with us during this necessary inconvenience. We’ll do everything we can to help you from our side. Since 2010 our newsletter’s Sellwood Bridge Update has brought you the latest on our wobbly neighbor and its impending facelift, and we’ll continue to bring you the news from ground zero. If you can’t wait for a monthly update, Multnomah County has a webpage for the project at sellwoodbridge.org with daily updates, bridge cams, project history, and in-depth reports from multiple sources.
As the project progresses, we expect flexible and creative solutions will be needed to make sure things run as smoothly as possible. For example, if traffic becomes consistently bad we may work with another business to create a vehicle drop-off on the west side of the river, or we may create some type of discount that recognizes the extra effort people go through to come to us. Our responses will have to be tailored to the specific problems the construction presents, but we’ll keep you posted. If you have any ideas that could make this huge project easier to cope with for your fellow Dwyer clients, PLEASE TELL US!
Once again, I’d like to express our appreciation to all of our clients for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. We are very fortunate to have such loyal and enthusiastic clients, and we work very hard to make sure that our service is worth going out of your way for. It won’t be easy while it’s happening, but it will be much better for everyone once the project is complete. We already know a new signal is planned for the 6th and Tacoma intersection, so those left turns from our shop onto the bridge will be much easier! It will be nice to see busses and fire trucks making the crossing again, and the peace of mind from knowing that the bridge won’t collapse when you’re halfway across will be worth something as well.
Take Care and Make a Great Day!
