Construction work takes a holiday Dec. 23 to Jan. 3

From ODOT-In the week before Christmas, our contractor crews have been wrapping up their in-water work to remove all traces of the old detour bridge columns before taking a well-deserved holiday break.


Construction work on the Willamette River Bridge project will stop the afternoon of Dec. 23, with crews returning to work in the New Year on Jan. 3.


During the holiday work break, the construction site is still an active work zone and safety remains our No. 1 priority. We will post a 24-hour security team at the construction site to keep it safe. Drivers and park users will still have to pay attention to construction signs, path detours and construction speed zone restrictions. There is bound to be more park use over the holiday week, so cyclists should watch their speed and keep a sharp lookout for other path users as well.


When work resumes in January, crews will focus on drilling large shafts deep into bedrock for the foundations that will support the new northbound bridge. They will start their work south of the railroad tracks, moving north as they go. Starting in mid-January, you may catch a glimpse of the big drills at work as you travel along Franklin Boulevard under the freeway.


Happy Holidays from the entire project team, the ODOT construction team in Springfield and our contractor crews from Hamilton Construction!