PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Multnomah County is thinking ahead when it comes to protecting the Burnside Bridge in the event of a major earthquake.
The Burnside Bridge Community Task Force plans to implement changes such as making the bridge lift-operable and cutting down one lane for cars – making it the first earthquake-resistant bridge across the Willamette River.
“We expect a Cascadia earthquake to happen every 300 years and we already exceeded that time frame,” said Emily Miletich, an engineering services manager of Multnomah County. “There’s no bridges that cross the Willamette in Portland that will be operational immediately after the earthquake.”
The project is expected to cost around $895 million.
Work is expected to start in 2025 and is expected to last until 2030. The bridge will be closed during that time.