September 30, 2022 4:00 a.m. 

The final link of a lifeline route between Interstate 5 and the southern Oregon coast formally opened Thursday morning with the dedication of the new Scottsburg Bridge on Highway 38 near Scottsburg.

Funded by House Bill 2017, called the Keep Oregon Moving Act, the new $43 million bridge is wider and on a better alignment than the original 1929 structure, according to a release from the Oregon Department of Transportation. ODOT says it has been better built to withstand earthquakes and stay open in time of natural disasters.

ODOT Director Kris Strickler said the new bridge, “…represents a seismic lifeline between the coast and Interstate 5”. Strickler said, “We don’t know when an earthquake will happen, but it takes leadership and foresight to get these improvements funded and built”.

Former State Representative Caddy McKeown, who helped guide passage of the legislation that led to the bridge, said, “It took everyone pulling on the same oar to make this happen”. McKeown said, “I want to thank the citizens of Oregon who trusted their representatives to vote for this bill to get the Scottsburg Bridge built and keep Oregon moving”.

The release said the bridge had to be closed several times in the past to repair damage when trucks hit the steel truss. In April 2017, the structure was closed for nearly five days due to a truck crash.

Prime contractor Hamilton Construction of Springfield began work on the new bridge in January of 2020. Traffic was shifted onto the new bridge in May of this year. The old bridge was removed in August.