Center Street NE Closure Begins Tuesday (AUDIO)

The Center Street Bridge over Mill Creek is being replaced Photo By: Tim King

(SALEM) - A portion of Center Street NE will be closed to through traffic between 17th Street NE and 14th Street NE beginning Tuesday June 13th, and it is not expected to reopen until early October. During this period, crews will replace the bridge on Center Street that spans Mill Creek.

The existing narrow bridge built in 1914 is being replaced with a new, wider bridge that will accommodate automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. The new bridge will have two vehicle travel lanes and one left-turn lane, plus new shoulders, curbs, and sidewalks on each side.

Additionally, approximately 500 feet of Center Street NE east of the bridge will be realigned to match the new bridge, along with replacement and relocation of existing utilities.

A temporary pedestrian bridge will be installed to allow pedestrian traffic during the project. A detour will route eastbound and westbound traffic to 12th Street NE, State Street, and 17th Street NE.

Beginning Monday, June 12th, 2006, Salem Area Transit is also modifying their routes for the duration of the project. Please see enclosed flyer for both vehicle and bus detour information.

Once the work begins, weekly email updates will be available to all interested parties. Request email updates by calling 503-588-6211.

The estimated total cost for this project is $2.6 million. It is part of the more than $6.0 million in OTIA funds earmarked to improve the Center Street Bridge and four other Salem bridges.

Additional bridges scheduled to be improved in 2006 are the Liberty Street Bridge over Mill Creek and a widening project on the Turner Road Bridge over Mill Creek.

Bridges scheduled for improvement in 2007 are the State Street Bridge over Mill Creek and the 25th Street Bridge over Shelton Ditch.