Multnomah County has announced that starting Monday, October 13 the Broadway Bridge will close for six months to all cars, trucks, buses and the Portland Streetcar for work to replace the bridge deck. During the majority of this work, the south sidewalk will remain open for cyclists, pedestrians and those using mobility devices.
During the six-month closure, the Portland Streetcar, which normally crosses the bridge, will still provide service with some modifications. The streetcar will serve the east side via the Tilikum Crossing, turning around on either end of the Broadway Bridge. A and B loop streetcars will operate as one line, going both directions through downtown and along the Central Eastside. The stop at NW 9th Ave. and Lovejoy St. will be closed for the duration of the project.
The work is part of the Broadway Bridge Lift Deck Replacement Project. A contractor will be replacing the bridge deck (the surface you drive on) of the moveable section of the bridge. In order to do the work, the contractor will remove small sections of the bridge deck, one at a time, to ensure that the moveable bridge sections remain carefully balanced and can be opened to river traffic as required by law. New streetcar tracks will also be installed in the section of the bridge deck being replaced.