The Sellwood Bridge is open and flowing smoothly, but any construction project that large will cause inevitable delays. Here are a few tricks from Doug, our Free Courtesy Shuttle driver, about the tricks he uses to beat the traffic every day…
Insider tricks to beat the Sellwood Bridge Construction traffic
Your best bet is to avoid the west side traffic altogether if possible, especially during rush hour. Use any of the downtown bridges to get to the east side of the river as soon as possible, and then take McLoughlin Blvd (99E) towards Sellwood, or use Milwaukie Ave as a backup.
As you get close to Sellwood on McLoughlin, DON’T TAKE the Tacoma Street exit. Instead, look for either Umatilla Street or Ochoco Street and take a right on either of those instead.
Both run parallel to Tacoma Street, and Umatilla will bring you up directly behind our shop.
If you take Milwaukie instead of McLoughlin, you’ll go through “downtown” Sellwood. You’ll still want to avoid Tacoma Street, so the best route is to take a right on 13th Ave at the 13th and SE Bybee intersection. Take a right onto Sellwood Blvd, follow the road past the wildlife refuge and Sellwood Park, and you’ll be almost here.
Getting here is one thing; leaving is another. We see all too many people who leave the shop only to sit waiting at the corner of 6th and 
Tacoma for an opportunity to turn left onto the Sellwood Bridge. There are two much easier ways. One is to turn RIGHT onto Tacoma, then left into the neighborhood. Make a few turns back toward Tacoma, then you’ll have an easy right turn onto Tacoma and the Bridge. Alternatively, taking Tenino St. east and a left onto 7th gives you access to the turn lane on Tacoma, and from there you can continue on Tacoma St. over the bridge.
Tacoma for an opportunity to turn left onto the Sellwood Bridge. There are two much easier ways. One is to turn RIGHT onto Tacoma, then left into the neighborhood. Make a few turns back toward Tacoma, then you’ll have an easy right turn onto Tacoma and the Bridge. Alternatively, taking Tenino St. east and a left onto 7th gives you access to the turn lane on Tacoma, and from there you can continue on Tacoma St. over the bridge.We can’t eliminate the inconvenience of the construction, but these tips should help you reduce it to a manageable level. And don’t lose hope… there’s only a little over a year left until the Bridge is completely finished!
