March 25, 2024 3:20 a.m.

Drivers can expect intermittent delays of up to 20 minutes through the Oakland Bridge project area, due to paving work.

Dan Latham of the Oregon Department of Transportation said prime contractor Farline Bridge Inc. will need about seven days of dry and warm weather to pave the roadway approaches at each end of the bridge. Latham said due to potential rain, the paving work could continue for a few weeks.

At the end of February, traffic was shifted onto a single lane of the new bridge, allowing the original 1925 span to be decommissioned.

Latham said over the past three weeks, contractors have been working to add a second lane to the approaches at the east and west ends of the new bridge. Once the approaches are fully paved, the bridge can be opened to two lanes of free-flowing traffic.

The final day of paving will require the closure of Green Valley Road at the Old Highway 99 intersection for about 12 to 24 hours. ODOT will announce the date of the closure as soon as the schedule can be determined.

Latham said construction of the new bridge began in February 2022. Most traffic delays over the past two years have been less than five minutes, but paving the approaches requires moving machinery on and off the roadway, taking longer to open lanes.

For more information visit the project website at: https://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=215