I-5 McKenzie River Bridges Replacement

Construction work on this bridge is complete.

I-5 crossing over McKenzie River (click to enlarge)

E-Mail Updates
To receive weekly e-mail construction updates, go to the Manage E-mail Subscriptions page.

The Work Schedule
Construction work on this bridge is complete.  However, contractors will remove invasive weeds in the I-5 right of way and plant native vegetation this fall.

What is the I-5 McKenzie River bridges replacement?
The two former 1950-era bridges crossing the McKenzie River, about three miles north of Eugene-Springfield (mile post 198), showed signs of wear and aging. They needed to be replaced in order to ensure the free flow of traffic along the I-5 corridor. The project phases included:

• Replace the bypassed existing southbound bridge with a wider bridge.
• Move southbound and northbound I-5 traffic onto the new southbound bridge.
• Replace the existing northbound bridge with a wider bridge and demolish the southbound detour bridge.
• Move northbound I-5 traffic onto the wider bridge.

The OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation’s 10-year, $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act. OTIA funds are repairing or replacing hundreds of bridges, paving and maintaining city and county roads, improving and expanding interchanges, adding new capacity to Oregon’s highway system and removing freight bottlenecks statewide. Based on 2008 dollars, about 14 family-wage jobs are sustained for every $1 million spent on transportation construction in Oregon. Each year during the remainder of the OTIA program, we estimate that construction projects will sustain an average of 4,100 family-wage jobs.

Impact on McKenzie River Recreational Users
McKenzie River recreational users should obey posted notices at “put in points” informing them of construction scheduling. Organized groups will be regularly informed by mail and email, and news releases will be sent to the media about construction work and its affect on river users. In addition, posters and flyers will be distributed to businesses that serve recreational river users.

How Is The Project Being Funded?
The $25.9 million project is funded by the OTIA III State Bridge Delivery Program, which is part of the Oregon Department of Transportation's 10-year, $3 billion Oregon Transportation Investment Act. OTIA is funded through state-issued bonds. The remainder comes from federal highway allocations approved by Congress in 2005.

OTIA funds will repair or replace hundreds of bridges, pave and maintain city and county roads, improve and expand interchanges, add new capacity to Oregon’s highway system, and remove freight bottlenecks statewide. About 17 family-wage jobs are sustained for every $1 million spent on transportation construction in Oregon. Each year during the OTIA program, construction projects will sustain about 5,000 family-wage jobs.

How Can I Get More Information?
Contact:

• Rick Little
  ODOT Region 2 Public Information Officer
  (541) 726-2442
  Richard.LITTLE@odot.state.or.us
• Oregon Dept. of Transportation
  
• Metro Phone Hotline: 984-8484 – call this number to hear updated recordings on the project
  
• Highway Advisory Radio: 1660 AM – similar to the Metro Hotline with recorded updates of project information

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