January is a month for Your Car Matters to take it easy. We have fun going back and looking at everything we wrote about last year. However, there is one issue that can’t just get the “look back” treatment this month… the Sellwood Bridge Renovation Project is about to have its first complete closure of the bridge, scheduled from January 17th through the 24th. We need to tell you how to make it as easy as possible to get along without our crumbling companion, as well as what we’re planning on doing to compensate you for any inconvenience or lost time you may encounter due to the bridge closure.
Will YOU actually be affected by the closure? Chances are good that you won’t. Let’s take a look at a few maps. Here you see our beloved Portland in all its GoogleMaps glory. The downtown bridges are in blue and the Ross Island and Sellwood bridges are in red. No matter which bridge you take, to get to our shop you’ll want to aim at either McLoughlin Blvd or Milwaukie Ave, then turn west when you hit Tacoma. We’re the last left you can make before you get on the Sellwood Bridge. (We’re the little blue star at the bottom.)
One thing to be aware of… whether you’re coming from the north or the south, Tacoma is the most main-line route to the shop. It may not be the quickest, however. Traffic builds quickly on Tacoma at the best of times and the Sellwood construction isn’t helping. It may be quicker to come down one of the side streets that parallels Tacoma, like Tenino, Umatilla, Spokane, or Nehalem.
Who ISN’T affected by the closure?
First, we know no one on the east side of the Willamette needs a bridge to get to us so those folks can rest easy. If you live or work on the west side of the river, (including downtown) down to just a little south of the Ross Island bridge then the situation looks pretty good for you too. Any of the downtown bridges will work to get you across the river, and the Ross Island Bridge has always been quicker than the Sellwood for you. Not much change there!
Down south into Oregon City, the situation is also pretty much unchanged. The east-siders are still safe, and for everyone on the west side of the river south of Lake Oswego, say in West Linn for example, it will be quicker to take the Oregon City bridge. Once you’re across you can come back up McLoughlin Blvd (Highway 99E) but there’s a quicker way. Come north on I-205 to the Milwaukie Expressway (Hwy 224) exit, then come in on Highway 224 to McLoughlin and turn right on McLoughlin.
Who IS affected by the closure?
That leaves these people as the ones who will be most affected by the closure. It’s basically an area bounded by the Ross Island Bridge and Highway 26 to the north, the Willamette River to the east, the Lake Oswego lake to the south, and open to the west as far as you want to go.
What are your alternatives?
If you live or work in the affected area you have two basic choices to get to Sellwood…
If you started from the west end of the Sellwood Gap, went north and crossed the Ross Island bridge, then came back down McLoughlin, Google Maps says this should be a 7.1 mile trip that takes 16 minutes.
On the other hand if you headed south, took the Oregon City bridge, then came back up McLoughlin you’d add 19.6 miles and 44 minutes to your trip.
There’s not much of a question on which way to go if you’re starting near the west end of the Sellwood Bridge, but how far south do you have to start before it makes sense to take the Oregon City bridge instead?
After trying many Google Map variations, it turns out it really doesn’t make sense to take the Oregon City bridge until you’re south of Lake Oswego lake, where it would have made sense to take the Oregon City bridge before anyway.
Here’s the short story: For just about anyone living in what we called the “affected zone”…
YOUR BEST ALTERNATIVE DURING THE SELLWOOD BRIDGE CLOSURE IS THE ROSS ISLAND BRIDGE.
If you took the Oregon City bridge to get to our shop before, keep doing it. It will still be your quickest route during the closure.
What are we doing to make up for any inconvenience?
On-the-spot discounts- The maps tell us that few people will be directly affected by the closure, but maps can lie. If YOU feel inconvenienced then you ARE inconvenienced, and we can’t have that. If you believe the Sellwood Bridge closure has affected your use of our service in ANY way, just tell us! Our Service Advisors have been authorized to adjust your bill to accommodate any problems you may have encountered.
Closure discounts- There’s something else we’re doing as well… if you schedule your vehicle for service during the Jan 17th -24th bridge closure period, we’ll offer a 15% discount on labor (up to $200). This doesn’t apply to oil changes or other services under $100, but if you’ve been putting off some major repair then now may be the ideal time to do it.
Is there any more information on the bridge?
Glad you asked. The Sellwood Bridge project isn’t just a big project for Portland, it’s one of the largest projects of this type in the country and it’s garnering a lot of press. For instance, did you know the “Shoo Fly” move that’s causing the closure is one of the largest bridge moves ever attempted? Here are links to some of the detailed coverage available now…
Sellwood Bridge Replacement Effort Nears Major Milestone- OPB, Dec 17, 2012
Portland Has Less Money For The Sellwood Bridge- OPB, Dec 13, 2012
Omega Morgan Will Move Portland’s Sellwood Bridge January 19- Information on the contractor who will be doing the move, Jan 2, 2013
Sellwood Bridge to slide downriver, carry traffic while new bridge is built- Oregonian, Dec 27, 2012 (with photo slideshow)
Portland’s share of Sellwood Bridge costs capped at $86 million and could go lower- Oregonian, Dec 20, 2012
Your Car Matters recap of Sellwood Bridge articles in 2012- Everything we wrote last year on the Sellwood Bridge
Multnomah County has maintained a website dedicated to the Sellwood Bridge reconstruction project, with constant daily updates, construction updates, construction cams, and links to outside articles. This is the best source for any information on the Sellwood Bridge project. You can access it at http://www.sellwoodbridge.org/
We appreciate your patience!
We know that this construction can cause headaches for everyone with business in Sellwood. We appreciate your patience during this time, and we want to make it as easy as possible to use our service while the project continues. If you find yourself inconvenienced by the bridge construction in any way please tell us… we’ll do something to show how much we appreciate your support during the construction disarray.
