Be Aware! Highway 99 West at Marys River Bridge to Remain Closed

A northbound truck hauling a forklift on a trailer struck three overhead cross members of the historic bridge Wednesday morning, denting the first two and tearing completely through the third beam. A vertical beam was also broken in half.

Salem-News.com

(CORVALLIS) - The Marys River Bridge on Highway 99W in Corvallis will remain closed for at least another 10 to 14 days while the Oregon Department of Transportation engineers fixes for the damaged structure and hires a specialty repair contractor.

Although the damage is not extensive, the members damaged by the forklift are in a critical location that compromises the strength and carrying capacity of the entire bridge. ODOT bridge engineers are continuing work on the complex calculations needed to determine the extent of repairs.

When complete, engineers will use those calculations to design repair drawings.

The drawings will then be sent to a handful of specialty bridge repair contractors in the Western United States for examination and bid.

Once ODOT accepts a bid, the contractor’s availability will dictate the time line for repairs.

“I know the continuing closure of this bridge is inconvenient for residents, commuters and businesses, but safety comes first,” said Bob Doran, ODOT District 4 Manager in Corvallis. “Until we receive notification from our bridge engineers that it is safe for vehicles, the bridge will remain closed.”

Doran said if contractor with the winning bid cannot begin the repair project for seven to 10 days due to prior commitments, ODOT bridge maintenance personnel will likely perform temporary repairs that could open the bridge to one lane of traffic.

In such a scenario, only light passenger vehicles would be allowed to use the bridge.

A detour routing northbound traffic to the Highway 34 Bypass, and then to the Harrison Street Bridge over the Willamette River, is in place.

For commercial vehicle routing information, contact the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Over Dimension Permit Unit, (503) 373-0000.