No Climbing of the Arches

From ODOT-

The graceful appearance of the arches on the new southbound Willamette River Bridge is in stark contrast to the multiple columns still remaining from the detour bridge. The remaining columns will be removed during demolition of the detour bridge, scheduled to begin in October. Then, the advantage of the single touchdown point of the arches in the river will become more recognizable.

The arch design decreases the impact of multiple bridge columns on the river environment, but creates a new safety issue. The old bridge’s support columns were vertical, smooth and almost impossible for a person to scale. The gentle slope of the new arches now provides an inviting temptation for daredevils to climb over the river from either bank.

When passing by the new bridge on the nearby paths, you might notice what we have done to discourage climbing on the arches. Our contractor crews built tall walls between the arch and the adjacent spandrel column to block access. In addition, crews poured a lid on top of each wall to prevent debris from falling into the enclosure created by the walls.

The design of the walls included the use of concrete form liners and are an added enhancement which is intended to blend with the bridge but still provide needed function.

We hope you enjoy the new bridge and the improvements to the surrounding area while respecting these steps taken to ensure everyone’s safety.

Workers built a special anti-access wall to prevent daredevils from climbing the new Willamette River Bridge arches.