Rockfall will keep NW Bridge Avenue closed 8-10 weeks

A key route in northwest Portland will be off-limits until at least late March says the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

The southern leg of NW Bridge Avenue adjacent to the St. Johns Bridge has been closed since January 5th and will remain so for 8-10 weeks, according to an ODOT announcement late Thursday.

The agency will do emergency repairs to the road and hillside and will install a “pinned mesh” system to stabilize the slope.

This section of Bridge Ave borders Forest Park and is a popular way to access Highway 30. With its closure, be aware of detours and increased traffic on the north side of the bridge.

If you are going northbound on Highway 30 and want to get up onto the St. Johns Bridge, you’ll need to continue under it and then loop back around on the north side. This requires you to merge into traffic lanes and wait for a signal before making the left turn from Highway 30 up to Bridge Avenue. Please use caution in this area. You might recall the injury collision between a bicycle rider and a driver at this intersection in May 2020.

If you are on the bridge and want to head south on Highway 30, you’ll need to hang a right at the end of the bridge and work your way onto the highway.

Hopefully ODOT gets the road reopened as soon as possible and no later than early April. With any luck they’ll use this opportunity to patch a few big potholes on this route that make sharing the road with fast car drivers even dicier.

Stay updated and learn more on ODOT’s website.