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Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the frequently asked questions below to read the answers.

The Sellwood Bridge
How safe is the existing bridge?
What is the funding plan for a new bridge?
How soon will construction start?
What is the timeframe/process for purchasing right-of-way?
How will I cross the river during construction?
What will the new bridge look like?
What are the dimensions of the Sellwood Bridge?
What are the Sellwood Bridge’s main deficiencies?
Is the Sellwood Bridge unsafe?
Why is the Sellwood Bridge so important?
Who uses the Sellwood Bridge?

Planning Study
Wasn't there a study like this done a few years ago?
What was the Sellwood Bridge project's biggest challenge?
Were there other challenges?
How much did the planning study cost?
How were the steps in this planning project organized and
why were they set up in this order?

How did Multnomah County oversee the project consultant's
work and ensure that tax dollars were spent appropriately?
Did the planning consultant end up designing the preferred
alternative?


Process and System
What do all of these acronyms and bridge terms mean?
What was the purpose of weighting the various evaluation
criteria and categories? How was the weighting used?

Why was there a need to create a different evaluation tool
and not use the Oregon engineering baseline that was used
for 300 bridges?

Why did residential relocations get such a low weighting
(2.2 out of 100 points)?

How has the value of private property been determined in
project costs? When will costs such as condo fees and precise
costs for specific properties be determined?

Do cost estimates include engineering costs to stabilize the
west end of the bridge from the historic landslide?

Why is there incomplete budget information available for
project costs?

Did Multnomah County or its consultant have a preferred
alternative? How did the County ensure the independence of
the project’s Community Task Force?

Would a four-lane bridge option open the door to Tacoma
Street (now primarily two lanes) being revisited and widened?


Community Task Force
How were the Community Task Force members chosen?
Why doesn’t the Community Task Force include property
owners whose real estate may need to be purchased for the
bridge project?


Teal Alignment
The Teal alignment was suggested by the public. It had fewer
impacts on local residences than some other alternatives
but it did not score as well as some alignments in the
screening. Was it given a fair chance?

Citizens suggested the Teal alignment, not project staff. Does
this mean that staff did not support the Teal alignment?

Both rail tracks and the Springwater Corridor Trail run below the bridge.
The Sellwood Bridge provides the only crossing for a 12-mile stretch of the Willamette River between Oregon City and Portland.
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