The well-traveled Hawthorne Bridge is scheduled for a temporary shutdown next month due to maintenance work. Multnomah County announced that the bridge, which spans the Willamette River and facilitates the daily commute for many, will be out of commission to all motorized vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians on specific days in early April. The county is installing a new gear system to control the opening and closing of the bridge – a critical piece of infrastructure in the heart of Portland.
According to the Multnomah County website, the closure dates are set for Wednesday, April 2, and Thursday, April 3, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. The disruptions are expected to continue over the weekend of April 5-6 during the same daily hours for testing the newly installed operating system. The announcement clearly states that the work is "not weather dependent," which means commuters must prepare to fully utilize alternate routes come rain or shine.
As part of a broader effort to maintain and enhance Portland's infrastructure, this particular update to the Hawthorne Bridge is just one aspect of the county's stewardship of several key bridges. Besides the Hawthorne Bridge, Multnomah County is responsible for the Sellwood, Morrison, Burnside, and Broadway Bridges, in addition to the Wapato Bridge over the Multnomah Channel.
Residents and commuters are encouraged to visit the official Multnomah County website for more detailed information regarding the closures and to plan their travel accordingly during these times. The county advises the public to "use alternative routes and plan for your commute," a necessity as the bridge will be inaccessible during these critical maintenance windows. As of this announcement, further details about the maintenance project have not been disclosed.
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