I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project: Looking Ahead to 2024

Image of Abernethy Bridge across the Willamette River with new support columns emerging. 

Stepping into 2024 presents the ideal opportunity to summarize developments likely to occur this year as ODOT continues making steady progress widening and seismically upgrading the Abernethy Bridge. Scheduled for completion in 2025, the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project is ODOT’s most significant highway construction project in over four and a half decades and will be the Portland region’s first earthquake-ready highway bridge across the Willamette River. Accomplishing this goal means 2024 will be another busy year for this monumental project. 

Here are some of the critical milestones that are likely to occur during the year: 

Preparing I-205 on either side of the Abernethy Bridge  

In 2025, the Abernethy Bridge will be widened eight feet in each direction to provide space for a future third travel lane. While opening and marking the pavement for a third travel lane across the Abernethy Bridge is not part of the current I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project, the highway on either side of the Abernethy Bridge will be widened and undergo other preparations for its eventual linking up with the moved Abernethy Bridge. During 2024, drivers will notice new paving, changes in signage, and altered streetlights along both sides of I-205 immediately adjacent to the Abernethy Bridge. While the bridge slide will not happen until next year, crews will spend 2024 getting the highway ready.

Widening and realigning the on- and off-ramps to OR 99E from I-205 

The on- and off-ramps connecting OR 99E and I-205 will be realigned and widened, making them easier for vehicles to navigate, and drivers will experience improved sight lines. 2024 will see both temporary and permanent paving associated with these ramp improvements and changes to lighting and retaining walls. Please visit the project website to learn more about the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project’s interchange improvements.

Continued construction of new bridge support columns 

A key component of making the Abernethy Bridge earthquake ready is constructing new support columns to carry the bridge's weight across its entire length. When the new columns are completed, the old columns must be dismantled. This is a complicated process while the bridge and the river underneath the bridge remain open for traffic. 2024 will see crews continuing to build the new support columns that became visible to casual observers in 2023, and crews will remove components of the previous bridge support infrastructure as they are made obsolete by newly constructed elements. The new columns and other bridge support components are one of the project’s most innovative aspects and will be the focus of a future article.  

Sound wall construction near southbound Exit 9 in Oregon City 

This year, crews will construct a new sound wall near exit 9 alongside southbound I-205. The impacted residents voted on this sound wall following a comprehensive project noise analysis. This new sound barrier is designed to reduce the audible impact of I-205 in the immediate area.

Widening the I-205 bridge across Main Street in Oregon City 

With the need to widen the segments of I-205 on either side of the Abernethy Bridge, crews will also widen the I-205 bridge that goes over Main Street in Oregon City.  

As always, dates can shift, but 2024 will see work progress on various pieces of this critical and exciting project. Thank you for your continued patience and support, and we look forward to sharing regular updates about the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project throughout this year.

Please sign up for text messages and email alerts to stay informed of road closures, detours, and other impacts, or visit TripCheck. You can also follow ODOT's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project.