PORTLAND – Multnomah County commissioners Thursday voted to approve the final design plan for a new Sellwood Bridge, replacing the current bridge that opened in 1925.
The design has a projected cost of $299 million and will include pedestrian and bike lanes on the north and south sides of the bridge.
One design suggestion would have limited pedestrian and most bike travel to the north side, and would have saved the project more than $2 million. But bicycle advocates were concerned about the limited access.
County Commission Chair Jeff Cogen said the project has been challenging and important.
“During the course of this, we have been focused on balancing the needs of the project and working with scarce public resources,” he said Thursday. ““It’s not an easy balance but I think today we have made the right decision.”
Preliminary work on the project has already begun. If work goes according to schedule, the bridge would open in 2015.
