Generations of drivers have taken the Van Buren Bridge, a one-lane steel structure that takes drivers from Corvallis across the Willamette River east toward I-5. Now, the bridge that has spanned more than a century is being replaced.
The Oregon Department of Transportation expects that by the end of 2026, there will be a new, seismically stable structure in place of the Van Buren bridge, which opened in 1913.
“It’s of an older, steel-frame design, and they weren’t really designed to last a century," said ODOT spokesperson David House. "So to preserve the bridge, we’ve done a lot of maintenance on it and then we’ve had to weight restrict it. It’s currently restricted to 12 tons maximum.”
House said a school bus is too heavy to cross it. He said crews are starting work on a temporary bridge, which won’t have restrictions, and is projected to be in use by the end of the year.
House cautioned residents should expect some noisy work beginning this week. During daylight hours for up to six days a week, crews will pile-drive support poles for the temporary bridge and for a construction bridge.
The Van Buren bridge project is a result of Oregon’s 2017 transportation bill. It’s estimated to cost just over $85 million dollars.
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